Acknowledgement
by trutenor
Summary: Naruto finds acceptance in the one that cared for him all along...Start of Book 2!
1. Foxes need love too!

_Hello everyone! I'm probably best known for writing Street Fighter stories, but I had to get away from that for a while. _

_I've always loved Naruto since I discovered it in Shonen Jump about a year ago. I've also loved the shy girl Hinata. Her intentions are so innocent and pure. And she is one of the few people that actually sees the good inside our favorite ramen eating shinobi! _

_It's also sad that Naruto/Hinata fanfiction is almost nonexistent. It seems like SasuNaru is the majority (although, I will never understand how Naruto and Sasuke could love one another...they hate each others guts!). _

_So being a Naruhina fan, I wanted to contribute. I also want to say thanks to everyone that has already opened the doors for Naruhina fanfiction. This goes out to the Naruhina fans... _

_**Update as of 9/17/08: With me striving to make Chapter 7 of this story extraordinary, I took it upon myself to look at past chapters to check for consistency. And while there is some definitely some consistency that I will clear up due to events in later chapters (especially chapters 1 and 2), there are also other matters that I wanted to handle.**_

_**As a writer, when you look at past work, you should never feel ashamed of it. I understand that I'm not perfect. Nobody is. However, my writers pride wanted to give my audience the best that I can do. While I love what I wrote in this chapter many years ago (I still love this chapter more then 2-6), there were certain matters that I honestly felt a bit embarrassed about.**_

_**As I have mentioned before, this story was originally a one shot. In one shots, everything has to be resolved by the end or it isn't a one shot. And that was fine. Since that now isn't the case, I've got some cleaning up to do.**_

_**So what have I done? I've added a bit more "soul" in this chapter. Errors that I accidentally put in and never fixed (like calling chakra ki) have been fixed. And thanks to having better knowledge of Naruto now then I did then, characters won't be as inconsistent compared to their manga counterparts (with the exceptions that must be done for the sake of my story), and there will be a "slightly more" gentle approach to the Naruto and Hinata scene (oh there is still going to be a scene, it will just be a bit more innocent).**_

_**If this is your first time reading this, then enjoy the full ride, as you'll get the goodness from the beginning! If you've read this before, then think of this as a rewrite of the first chapter. This isn't just cut and paste and add a couple of new words. Nearly the entire chapter was rewritten! And I will also do the same thing with the next chapter to make sure that everything flows nicely. Enjoy…**_

--  
Success...

Those were the words that spread throughout Konoha village as chuunin Nara Shikamaru, followed by his team of genin, returned to the village with an unconscious Uchiha Sasuke.

The mission had not been an easy one...Akimichi Chouji and Hyuga Neji nearly died for their efforts. They had nearly run out of chakra. They would be out for a couple of days. Inuzuka Kiba wasn't fairing off too well either. While he only needed a couple of bandages upon his body, his dog companion Akamaru was put into a coma. Team leader Nara Shikamaru only had a broken finger, but it would soon heal over time. After his successful surgery at the hands of Tsunade-sama, Rock Lee located his comrades and assisted in the quest while Uzumaki Naruto went after his rival and blood brother Uchiha Sasuke. The rematch between Naruto and Sasuke was even more deadly then the previous one as unlike the first bout, there was no Sakura or Kakashi to distract the two in their destined bout with one another. Even though Naruto knew that his main objective was to bring Sasuke back to the village, a part of him wanted to beat the living daylights out of Sasuke for thinking he was so superior to him. And Sasuke wanted to prove that he was ready to face his brother Itachi and kill him in order to avenge his family. And defeating his former comrade Naruto would be the proof that he needed.

In the end though, Naruto barely managed to knock Sasuke into unconsciousness before slumping his body over his back and finding the rest of his team so they could all go home.

Upon returning to the village, Shikamaru, accompanied by Naruto, made the report to Tsunade about all that had happened while everyone else was taken to the hospital for medical care. Tsunade then decided that everyone that participated in the mission would receive medals of honor in a ceremony that was to take place in a week's time. As for Sasuke, Tsunade would work on removing the curse seal that Orochimaru had placed on him as well as get Sasuke some help to deal with the inner problems that haunted his heart and mind.

_Chapter 1: "Foxes need Love too!"_

_--_  
The night before the awards ceremony, we find Uchiha Sasuke asleep inside the hospital. About 3 days earlier, Tsunade had successfully managed to remove the curse seal that Orochimaru had placed on Sasuke, but it had taken a toll on his body. Sasuke was going to have to rest for about a week before he could move again. Haruno Sakura had vowed that she would take care of Sasuke and never left his side except to use the bathroom and to get food.

We now find our hero Naruto making his way towards the Konoha hospital trying to make it before visiting hours were over for the day. Despite how they treated one another, deep down, Naruto really did care for his comrade Sasuke and hoped that he would get better.

After being told where Sasuke's room was from the nurse, Naruto makes his way towards room 101 to check in on his teammate. Right as he is about to open the door however, Naruto hears voices on the other side.

"Sasuke-kun...if you can hear me...please wake up..."

"_Sakura-chan?"_ thought Naruto as he opened the door slightly to get a peek at what was going on inside. Naruto's ears had not deceived him after all. It really was Sakura inside Sasuke's room.

"uhh..."

Sasuke's eyelids blinked twice before slowly opening and being greeted to his pink haired and green-eyed teammate of Team Seven.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whispered as her eyes started to get watery.

"Sakura..." Sasuke grunted as his eyes stared off into space. Considering his actions, Sasuke was surprised that anyone would want to visit him.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whimpered, as tears finally streamed down her cheeks. "I thought that I lost you forever..."

"Sakura..." Sasuke sighs, as he finally sits up in the bed and turns his head over to the left to fully look at Sakura's face. He could see the anguish that he had caused Sakura. Her eyes were red from crying so much, and a couple of dark circles were visible under her eyes. Sasuke assumed it to be from lack of sleep. And Sakura's normally well brushed pink hair, arguably the reason for Sakura's namesake, was unkempt without her usual ninja headband to keep it all tidy.

What made all of these observations about his teammate worse though, was _knowing_ why Sakura had been in so much distress these past couple of days…

It had all been because of him…

That's right. The pain lay solely on his shoulders. Because of his quest to be an "avenger", Sasuke had been willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goal of defeating his brother Itachi. Sure, seeking Orochimaru for help may not have been the wisest thing that he could have done. In fact, it was downright stupid. And you know…evil…

From looking at Sakura's face, Sasuke felt emotions that he didn't think he would ever feel for her: Remorse, and longing.

He had tried to push Sakura away so that when the time came to leave, the pain would not hurt as much. He didn't want to see her hurt. And he didn't want to admit that he actually longed for Sakura as much as she had for him.

It had been one of the things that had pissed him off during the Sound Invasion. When Naruto had been able to protect Sakura from Gaara, and he couldn't! It wasn't right! He should have been the one to protect Sakura! But at least she was safe…

For the first time in his life, Sasuke actually felt sorry. Not for the fact that he failed in his mission, oh no. But for hurting Sakura so much. She didn't deserve all the crap that he put her through. She might have been annoying, and a little bit too fanatical at first, but it had all been for his sake. Naruto wasn't the idiot on the team, _he was…_

"Sakura…" Sasuke whispers as he brushes a couple of strands of hair out of her eyes, "I'm sorry…"

Meanwhile, Naruto was still outside peeking into the room, not quite liking what he was seeing. Naruto also noticed that his stomach seemed to feel tighter as he watched the scene between his 2 teammates.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said as she caught Sasuke in an embrace, "I'm…I'm here for you…"

This had not been the first time that Naruto witnessed something like this. When Tsunade had first entered the Konoha village as the fifth Hokage, Sakura had displayed this same affection towards Sasuke.

Naruto however, was not prepared for what Sakura would do next...

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said as she lifted her head from Sasuke's neck and looked directly into his eyes. "I...I...I love you..."

"I know..."

Hearing this heartfelt confession come out of Sakura's lips was almost enough to send Naruto's emotions over the edge. She...she loved him? How could she? Sasuke treated her like trash! Naruto knew that Sakura liked Sasuke a lot, but loved him?

Naruto found it even more difficult to maintain his composure when he saw Sakura crush Sasuke's lips with her own…

Sasuke was caught back by Sakura's actions, but didn't hesitate, nor stop Sakura from what she was doing. He wrapped his right arm around Sakura's back and pulled her body closer to his, increasing the intensity of the kiss.

Naruto had seen enough. Seeing Sakura kiss their teammate...and his biggest rival was too much to bear, even for Naruto. Despite being the container of a demon fox that would kill without any qualms for 13 years, Naruto was still only human...

And being human meant that not even Naruto, who holds the reputation as the loudest and most hyperactive ninja in Konoha village, was immune to emotions that human's experienced daily. Emotions such as laughter, anger, or in this case, heartbreak...

Naruto felt it best that he leave, before things got out of hand. He quietly left Sasuke's room with the two inhabitants inside not even noticing that he had been around in the first place.

Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes as he left the hospital. Any final ambitions that he had of winning Sakura's heart were shattered after he saw her kiss Sasuke.

Love...it was the one thing that Naruto craved more then anything. Even more then being Hokage, Naruto wanted somebody that actually _cared_ for him. Not somebody that did it to be nice, but deep down, really felt worried about him. The only person that even came close was Iruka-sensei, but Naruto wanted a deeper connection. Naruto wanted somebody that woke up and thought about his well being or smiled whenever he came near. Not out of obligation, but general concern…

"_It isn't fair..."_ Naruto thought as he walked through the village. _"No matter how much I try, in Sakura-chan's eyes, I will always be dead last. I will always be a loser. I will never be good enough for her...because I'm not Sasuke. No matter how much I train or how much stronger I become, Sakura-chan will never accept me." _

Seeing Sasuke steal Sakura's kiss from him had been equivalent to someone driving a kunai straight through his heart. And of the past battles that Naruto had been in with such ninja like Neji or Haku had paled in comparison to the inner battle that Naruto was facing right now in his heart. There were only 3 people that truly understood Naruto's pain, but one of them was dead (3rd Hokage), one was currently away on a mission (Iruka), and the other one knew about Naruto's pain, but was too tied up being the new ruler of the village to talk to Naruto (Tsunade). So basically, Naruto was out of options when it came to someone to confide in. Kakashi was not even an option. Although Kakashi probably already knew about Naruto's feelings towards Sakura, Kakashi was not one that Naruto felt comfortable discussing his inner problems to. Kakashi's idea of solving problems was pulling out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. The hentai...

Naruto almost snickered at the idea of asking Kakashi for help. Even if Naruto had thought of asking Kakashi for help, it would still be impossible since Kakashi was currently away on an A ranked mission which meant that he wouldn't be returning to the village for quite some time. So in the long run, Naruto was screwed.

Naruto had made his way to the ninja academy, even though that wasn't his intention in the first place. Naruto had been walking just for the sake of it, and to get away from the hospital...and Sasuke...and Sakura-chan…

_"Damn you, Sasuke...why does everything always have to come so easily for you? Why do I always have to work twice as hard as you and still get half the respect? Why do all of the girls want to be with a jerk like you?_

That recent memory still fresh in his head, Naruto saw the swing that he sat on when he had failed his ninja academy exam for the third time in a row. It was _his_ swing, the swing that he sat on when he felt depressed. And right now, Naruto felt long overdue for a visit...

Naruto sat down in the swing as the last of his tears had dried up. Naruto had originally planned on going to the Ichiraku Ramen stand immediately after checking up on Sasuke, but the incident at the hospital had made him lose his appetite. Right now, Naruto could care less about anything. Nothing mattered. Not his training, the medal ceremony the following day, a nice bowl of miso ramen, or even his ultimate desire to become Hokage. Naruto didn't care, cause one of the things that he had cared about the most, had just been taken away from him.

Ever since team seven was formed, Sakura would continue to pursue Sasuke's affections, despite the fact that he treated her like garbage. In return, Sakura would constantly insult Naruto and treat him bad, even though Naruto cared about Sakura like she was a goddess. Over time, Naruto had hoped that Sakura would come to her senses and realize that Sasuke could care less about her and look towards someone that did care, but Sakura never gave up. Even when other guys like "Fuzzy Eyebrows" Rock Lee would desire her, Sakura never gave up on her goal, which was to be with Sasuke. And in the end, it looked like Sakura had finally succeeded in winning his heart.

"There was never a chance for me..." said Naruto to himself as he gave his swing a test drive. "My fate was sealed when I became the jailer for Kyubi 13 years ago. Nobody dares get close to me because they are afraid...afraid of the demon inside of me. Everyone in this village hates me, and wishes that I were dead. They try to ignore me, like I am only a figment of their imagination. Whenever I fight, people always expect me to fail. They always have low expectations of me, despite the fact that I beat strong opponents...despite the fact that I train twice as hard as everyone else..."

Naruto stopped swinging as his recently dried eyes became wet again.

"I might as well give up on things like love. I am only fooling myself if I think that someone will actually accept me for who I am, and not what I am. Just because I hold a demon fox inside of me...people think that I..._sob_... am a monster...that I... _choke_...don't have feelings or that I don't..._sob_...matter...I never asked to be the container of Kyubi, so why do they... _sniff_ ...treat me like it was my choice? Why do they continue to hate me and..."

Naruto couldn't hold back his tears anymore as he started to cry again. The only thing that Naruto had succeeded in is making himself feel even more miserable. So much for being strong...Naruto had said that he would never cry again...but all of that pent up emotion...it had finally reached its peak. And the only way out was through the eyes...

Unknown to Naruto however was a blue haired, white-eyed girl that had been watching Naruto behind a tree and listening to everything. Also unknown to Naruto was that this girl's eyes were also in tears from what she had heard Naruto say. Naruto was her hero...the source of her strength...the joy of her life...Naruto was the person that she loved with all of her heart.

It had broken her heart to find out why her secret crush had been treated so cruelly all these years. It was a wrong that needed to be rectified.

"Naruto-kun..." the girl whispered as tears streamed down her cheek. "You are loved...you always have been...and I think it's time for me to show you that..."

The girl, known as Hyuga Hinata, came out from behind her tree and decided to bring forth her courage and give strength to the one that had always empowered her.

"Naruto-kun..." mumbled the girl as tears continued to run down her face.

"Huh?" Naruto said as he quickly wiped his tears away and looked up.

It was Hyuga Hinata. The same girl that he made an oath to on her blood…the same girl that he had dedicated his fight against Neji in the chuunin finals to, was standing in front of him.

"Hinata...you're crying…"

Hinata immediately wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck as she cried on his chest.

"_Hinata is crying...but why?"_

Naruto had no idea for Hinata's current distress, but he knew that whatever it was that was bothering Hinata, couldn't be resolved while he was still in his special swing. So Naruto did the gentleman thing. He got up off the swing and escorted Hinata to one of the benches that sat outside the ninja academy so that they were a bit more comfortable.

Upon sitting Hinata and himself down on the bench, Naruto lifted her head slightly so that they were looking at each other face to face. From this close distance, Hinata's clear white eyes were like beautiful pearls that reflected everything. And Hinata's blue hair almost seemed to glow from the moonlight that shone in. Hinata was beautiful...why hadn't he noticed it before?

"Hinata? Why are you crying?"

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata says through sniffles, "I...I heard everything...no one should have to deal with such pain..."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asks, truly confused.

"I _know_…" Hinata says with a look that seems to tear into Naruto's soul, "I know about you…and the Kyubi…"

"_She knows?" _Naruto's body stiffens, as panic started to kick in, _"Then when she said that she heard everything, she meant…"_

"I...I feel your pain..." Hinata begins again, "I know how it feels to be alone. I may not have spent most of my life with a demon fox inside of me, but people still ignore me like I am a monster. Even my own family has little faith in me ever since my little sister Hanabi beat me in a fight. Sometimes my teammates Kiba and Shino doubt my abilities. But whenever I see you Naruto-kun, I don't feel so alone anymore. I feel like...I can do anything. Whenever I see you, all of my pain goes away. I don't like it when the people in this village are mean to you or talk badly about you, Naruto-kun...It..it isn't right. You...you deserve to be loved, and you deserve to be acknowledged for more then just your strength. True power comes from the heart..."

"Hinata..." Naruto wonders, "Why do you have such confidence in me? What do you see in me that others don't? Why don't you hate me like everyone else?"

This was it...now there was no turning back...in order to answer his question, Hinata realized that she would have to tell Naruto the part that she had been trying to leave out...The part about her being in love with him. Ever since the academy days, Hinata knew that there was something special about Naruto ever since she first laid eyes on him. It saddened her to think that nobody but herself took the time to find out about him or get to know him for his achievements...instead of his failures...

Instead, everyone in the village was told to ignore Naruto like he was a disease...like he was an apple inside a bag of oranges...like he was the goose inside a group of ducks. And explanations were never made. Just like all of the other kids in the village, Hinata was just told by her parents to ignore Naruto and not to associate with him. This led Hinata into wondering why...

What had started out as curiosity, led to discovering that Naruto was not the evil beast that people often depicted him as. Naruto was only a boy that longed for affection, yet nobody would listen to his cries for help. Nobody would give him the attention that he so desperately needed.

Well all that was about to change...because of Naruto, Hinata had found the strength that she didn't know she had to stand up to her cousin Neji during the chuunin exam. Even though she lost, Hinata still felt a lot more confident about herself. When everybody wanted to look the other way, there was Naruto, cheering her on. Even after she was defeated, that same boy even vowed to defeat Neji for her. Naruto cared...when nobody else would...

Ever since that day, Hinata had started to gain more confidence in herself and her abilities. No longer would she be the "always shy" Hyuga girl that people doubted. Slowly, Hinata was going to change and become stronger, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.

And as a test to see how far she had developed, Hinata was going to tell Naruto how much he meant to her. A smile came across the face of the heir to the Hyuga clan as she prepared to take the first step of the rest of her life...

"Why do I have such confidence in you?" Hinata begins, "It's Because I know deep down inside my heart that you are destined to do many great things. And strength comes from support. You have a great dream, Naruto. I know it will come true one day. I believe in you because you try and never give up. And because you are one of the few people that believes in me."

Naruto started to blush slightly from what Hinata said. _"She...she believes in me?"_

"What do I see in you?" Hinata continues, "I see a great spirit and a great soul with a good heart that only wants to help people. I see somebody that works hard at everything they do and doesn't take anything for granted. I see someone that desires love and attention. I see someone that has been robbed of a chance to have a family. I see somebody that is treated cruelly for all the wrong reasons...And I see somebody that always makes me smile every time I see him..."

"Hinata..." Naruto was really starting to blush now from Hinata's comments. Nobody had ever said anything so honest and heartfelt towards him...not even Iruka-sensei. Naruto was starting to look at Hinata a little bit differently now.

Hinata knew that it was time to tell Naruto her true feelings. Everything else she had said had only hinted at her true message. Hinata suddenly felt slightly nervous now, cause this was going to be the boldest thing that she had ever done in her entire life. Standing up to her cousin Neji was easier to do then this.

"_No...I can do this...I'll be strong for you, Naruto-kun..."_

"Why don't I hate you like everyone else?" Hinata started to whisper as she placed both of her hands on Naruto's cheeks. "First of all, I'm not like everyone else. Everyone else in the village is blind. They don't see the true Naruto when they look at you. They only see the hatred that they were taught to hold against you. They don't believe in amnesty, giving you a chance to grow and improve. It's ironic how our village is known as one of the strongest villages if not the strongest because of our unity, but sometimes the people in the village forget that. They say one thing and then do the exact opposite. They are hypocrites...

"Hinata..." Naruto says solemnly, "You know the truth now…you know why the village hates me…

"I don't care!" "Hinata protests, "You never had a say in the matter! What you did...I consider heroic...you continue to push on with Kyubi inside you...despite the fact that people hate you daily...the burden that you carry...is one that I wouldn't wish on anybody...that is true strength...even when you fall down...you get back up...that is what will one day make you Hokage..."  
_  
"Hinata...why is it that you seem to understand me better then anybody? Why is it that except for Iruka-sensei, you are the only one that treats me with true kindness? Why do you cry for me? Why do you care so much?"_

"I could never hate you, Naruto-kun...You are not like any of the other guys in this village. You are...special to me...and..."

Hinata found herself staring at the floor now. Her confidence was wavering. And right when it was needed most.

_"No!" _Hinata thinks as she lifts her head back up, _"I won't back down! I can't afford to! Not anymore! He needs me!"_

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata began again. "I...I like you...I like you a lot...you are not like any of the other guys I know...I know a lot of people think that I like Kiba-kun but...he is just a friend...whenever I see you...I feel like the happiest person ever. You always make me smile...you always make me happy..."

And once again, Hinata had managed to restore Naruto's spirit. She had done it once before just before Naruto had to face Neji in the chuunin finals a while back, and now she had done it again. Hinata, was like his guardian angel…

"Thank you…" Naruto thanks as a small smile covers his face, "You always know what to say to cheer me up! Why?"

Hinata blushed before resting her head in Naruto's chest and wrapping her arms around him.

"Why?" Hinata says, an adorable grin forming on her lips, "It's because I love you…"

At those words, Naruto froze.

"_She...she loves me? Me? The person that everyone likes to hate? The person that nobody had any faith in?"_

It had to be a joke, Naruto had concluded. Nobody loved him. He was the village idiot. The fall guy. The _demon._

While a couple of people might have genuinely started to respect him, that's where it ended. It would never go any farther then that. His incident in the hospital earlier had been proof of that. Sakura had started to respect him from the time they had started as teammates. She had started to see that he was strong, and could handle his own. While Sakura might have been unconscious to see his triumph against Gaara, she had been awake to see him save both her and Sasuke from that giant snake before Orochimaru got the drop on him.

And in the end, where did it get him? Nowhere. Even after all of his devotion, Sakura had still chosen Sasuke over him. Even after he had risked his life for her, it was all for Sasuke.

"Hinata…" Naruto says quietly as he lifts Hinata's head off his chest.

Naruto appreciated Hinata caring for his pain. Naruto even was thankful to Hinata for cheering him up. But he didn't need her making up some cruel jokes about being in love with him.

But as he gazed into Hinata's eyes another time that night, Naruto found himself lost in them. Whatever it was that he wanted to say had been completely forgotten.

Naruto noticed how half-lidded Hinata's eyes were, as well as how close her face was to his, but there was nothing that he could say or do about it. It was as if all time stopped.

"Na…ru…to…kun…" Hinata spoke softly and sweetly, before melting into his mouth.

It took a moment for Naruto to register that the heir to the Hyuga clan was kissing him, but when he did, Hinata had broken off the lip lock.

"_Then…she's serious? She really does love me?"_

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said apologetically, "I'm...I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have done that...it...it was wrong of me to do and..."

Hinata's words were cut off as Naruto returned her sweet kiss. Now knowing that he wasn't going to reject her, Hinata's grip on his body tightened as she put in more of herself to match his intensity.

_"All of this time...when I was trying to make Sakura-chan like me, Hinata always did..."_

After kissing for several more seconds, Hinata broke off the kiss before she started planting her lips all over his neck.

"Hinata…" Naruto gasped from the new sensations that he was feeling.

Hinata continued to kiss all over Naruto's neck before finally biting down.

"Itai…" Naruto hissed as he felt Hinata's teeth inside him.

Naruto felt paralyzed as Hinata continued to place love bites all over him. The feeling surging through him was intoxicating.

Hinata had no idea what she was doing. She wasn't even fully aware of her actions. All she knew was that she was in love with Uzumaki Naruto, and she would show him through the best of her ability.

Naruto meanwhile, had wondered how he had been so fortunate to find Hinata. How could he have been so blind? How could he have missed her admiration of him?

Naruto remembered what had happened after he had defeated Kiba in the chuunin preliminaries. Hinata, _Kiba's_ teammate, had offered him some ointment cream to tend to his wounds. When he had inquired why, Hinata became so shy that her sensei Yuuhi Kurenai just told him to take the stuff. It always puzzled him why Hinata was going out of her way to help him. Didn't Kiba need the cream more? He did, but the reason why he didn't receive it, was because Kiba wasn't him…

"_I really am a baka…" _Naruto sighs as Hinata continued to please him, _"How could I not see how much Hinata wanted me?"_

Simple, Naruto answered to himself. He had been too busy trying to gain Sakura's favor to notice anyone else.

"_Well no more…" _Naruto thinks as he looks back at Hinata, nearly lost in a sea of desire for him, _"I won't take you for granted anymore. I won't make the same mistake that Sasuke-teme made with Sakura-chan for so long. You deserve better then that…"_

Naruto, with newfound resolve, mimics Hinata's actions by biting into her neck.

"Naruto-kun!!" Hinata moans, as she throws her hands behind his head.

Naruto nibbled into Hinata's neck in such a way that Hinata was now purring. Maybe hanging around Erosennin had its benefits afterall…

She had been his light at the end of the tunnel…and the sun to shine on the maelstrom that was his life. He could never thank her enough for that…

Naruto, finally finished, breaks away. Hinata pants from the excitement that they had gone through and rests her head back onto his chest.

It had started off as a depressing evening, but Hinata had changed all of that. Finally understanding who she was made Naruto look at Hinata completely differently. He had found her. He had found his precious person…

And if he wanted to keep her, he needed to make sure that she got home before suspicion arose.

"Hinata…"

"Hmmm…?"

"Don't you have to go home? I don't think your family approves of me…"

"I don't care!" Hinata proclaims as she kisses Naruto's lips again, "I love you, Naruto-kun, and one day, I'll make them understand that...even if I have to renounce my Hyuga heritage!"

"Hinata! You can't do that! I'm not worth it! I mean-"

This time it was Hinata's turn to hush Naruto with a finger to his lips.

"Yes it is. Nobody pays more attention to me then you, Naruto-kun. Nobody is more honest and more caring then you. My family...there is some love...but it is mostly like a unit love...not really genuine love like I have for you. I will become the heir to the Hyuga empire when I come of age...and there is nothing that my family can do to change that. They can't decide who I fall in love with..."

The things that Hinata said had made Naruto want to cry again. Hinata was the first person that had shown so much concern for him. She loved him without fear...and without regret...

"_I could stay out here with Hinata-chan all night...night? Wait a second! What time is it?"_

Naruto looked at his watch and saw that it was a quarter to 10:00.

"Oh no! The awards ceremony! It's supposed to take place tomorrow afternoon! Hinata! We have to get home!"

"But I'd rather stay with you Naruto-kun..."

Naruto was almost tempted to forget about the awards ceremony right there and then, but he also remembered that Hinata's family would go crazy if they found out that Hinata had been out all night with the "forbidden" Uzumaki boy.

"I know Hinata-chan. I want to stay with you too...but your family might suspect something. Don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok...goodnight, Naruto-kun."

"Sweet dreams, Hinata…"

They gave each other a warm hug before running off towards their perspective homes...

--  
"Welcome everyone!" Said Tsunade to the crowd that afternoon.

"About a week and a half ago, Orochimaru had tried to capture one of our ninjas! Unfortunately, due to all of our chuunin and jounin being absent on missions, I was left with no choice but to give the only chunnin left in the village, Nara Shikamaru, the task of assembling a team of himself, plus 4 other genin that he felt worthy, to go on a rescue mission for their comrade. Gentlemen, when I call out your name, step forward..."

"Akimichi Chouji."

Chouji stepped forward looking good as new. Even after he had taken all those solder pills, he recovered nicely. Tsunade put the medal around his neck as the crowd applauded.

"Good job, Chouji!" Team 10's sensei Sarutobi Asuma congratulated as Chouji stepped down from the stage, "You have come a long way since Team 10 started!"

"I'm proud of you, Chouji!" Chouji's teammate Yamanaka Ino chimes in as she hugs him, "I'm also glad that you are ok! I was really worried about you!"

"Thanks you two!" Chouji says as he rubs the back of his head, "But don't forget that Shikamaru is still up there!"

"Hyuga Neji."

The crowd went wild when Neji stepped forward. He was a fan favorite. Like Chouji, Neji had also been in a near death state, but fortunately he survived. It was just not his time to die yet.

"Neji…" Neji's sensei Maito Gai says as Neji comes down from the stage,

"_Please don't break down and start giving out speeches about my flames of youth"_, Neji pleads as Gai pats him on the back. To Neji's great delight, Gai kept his mouth shut. But then Neji remembered that Lee was still up on stage…

Neji's other teammate Tenten, also picked up on this realization and sighed, knowing that the silence that she and Neji were blessed with at the current moment, was only the calm before the storm…

"Next, Inuzuka Kiba."

More clapping went off as Kiba stepped forward to receive his medal.

"_Akamaru…" _Kiba sighed as the medal was placed around this neck, _"I couldn't have done this without you. You deserve this medal more then I do…"_

Just then, there was yelping in the crowd.

As everyone turned to see what the commotion was about, they saw a small nin dog with bandages wrapped around its body running towards the stage before leaping into Kiba's arms.

"Akamaru!?" Kiba said shocked, "You're ok!"

Kiba then looked into the crowd and saw his older sister Hana smirking at him. Kiba understood fully what had happened. His sister Hana had healed Akamaru.

"Akamaru…" Kiba says as he takes his medal off and places it around Akamaru's neck, "This is for you!"

The crowd awes as Akamaru starts licking Kiba's cheek.

"Nara Shikamaru."

The crowd once again went wild as the young genius prodigy came forward.

"Congratulations on your first successful A ranked mission," Tsunade says into the microphone, "Sandaime made no mistake when he made you a chuunin. I see great things for you."

The audience kept yelling for Shikamaru to say a couple of words after his first successful mission he led.

_"This is so troublesome...why do I have to do this anyway? Sigh… might as well get it over with..._

Shikamaru grabbed the microphone from Tsunade.

"Thank you for the medal. And thank you everybody for believing in me. I promise that I will continue to do my best to make this village proud and to show off the true strength of the Leaf!"

Everyone clapped for Shikamaru as he stepped off the stage except for Yamanaka Ino, who was blushing. Ever since Shikamaru returned, Ino realized that she had feelings for him. She had never really wanted Sasuke. It was just to mess with her rival Sakura. Ino secretly loved Shikamaru, and told him...with a kiss upon his return to the village.

"Shika-kun!" Ino shouted as she jumped into her lover's arms, "I knew you could do it!"

"Shikamaru…Chouji…" Asuma says, "To celebrate the success of your mission, I'll take you all out for barbeque."

Chouji's mouth started to water as Asuma now took out his wallet to make sure that he didn't regret his decision.

"Rock Lee."

The crowd went silent as Rock Lee stepped forward. "Not only did Rock Lee recover fully from his surgery, but he also went off in search of his comrades to assist in the mission. For that Rock Lee, you not only get the medal of bravery, but also the medal of courage and persistence."

The crowd was now screaming at the top of their lungs.

Neji and Tenten eyed each other, counting how long it would be before their sensei made an ass of himself.

As soon as Lee stepped off the stage, the countdown began…

Three…

Two…

One…

"Lee!" Gai cried as he hugged Lee tightly

"Gai-sensei!" Lee returned with as much enthusiasm as Gai, also in tears "Did my flames of youth burn brightly enough?"

"Yes!" Gai says as he cries on his pupil, "But now you must make them burn brighter!"

"Yes, Gai-Sensei!" Lee returns, even louder then before, "I shall make my flames of youth burn brighter! And if I can't do that, then I'll run 100 laps around the village! And if I can't do that, then I'll do 1,000 push-ups! And if I can't do that, then I'll do 1,000 sit ups!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

The entire crowd sweatdrops as Lee and Gai have their little "moment". Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten are slowly walking away from the other half of their team to try and keep the embarrassment down to a minimum.

"Ahem", Tsunade coughs, bringing the attention back to her. "We still have one person left! Uzumaki Naruto!"

Immediately, the crowd went completely silent as Naruto stepped forward. Despite earning a bit of respect from the crowd, Naruto still knew that the people of the village really didn't give a damn about him.

"Naruto..." Tsunade started in a serious tone. "You assisted in the mission to bring back your teammate...and you were the one that located him and brought him back home safely...I also understand that you met up with Orochimaru but managed to escape from his clutches without putting yourself into any real danger. For that, you get this medal..."

The crowd was still silent as Naruto received his medal.

"_Just as I thought…" _Naruto sighed, _"Nobody cares what I went through…"_

That was what Naruto had thought at first, until he saw Hinata clapping.

"_Hinata-chan…"_

Then it was his teammate Sakura…

"_Sakura-chan?"_

Then it was his sensei Kakashi…

"_Kakashi-sensei…" _

Then it was his adopted little brother Konohamaru, along with his friends Moegi and Udon…

"Naruto-nichan!" Konohamaru shouted at the top of his lungs, "You rock!"

Konohamaru had been the one to make Naruto smile.

Then it was the rest of the rookie nine and Gai's team clapping for Naruto. Including their Jounin teachers…

Next it was Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, the owners of Ichiraku Ramen…

Then it was Umino Iruka, the first person that had accepted him as a person.

Then it was Morino Ibiki clapping…

Then it was Mitarashi Anko clapping…

Then it was Ebisu clapping…

And finally, it was Toad Sage Jiraiya who clapped for Naruto…

And once the rest of the crowd saw the support that Naruto had, they started to clap as well…

Naruto looked to his sides and also saw that Shizune and Tsunade were clapping…

And it was then, that the tears that Naruto had been fighting to hold back, came forward.

Tsunade pulled Naruto into a hug as he cried into her chest. Naruto had not been the only person crying that day. Tsunade was also crying as she held the one that she considered her grandson. Rock Lee and Gai were also crying. As was Iruka. But perhaps the most important one that had been crying for Naruto, had been the one that had accepted him all along…

"_Naruto-kun..." _Hinata cried as she clapped for her beloved, _"Now they are starting to see what I have always saw in you. I'm happy for you..."_

Hinata wanted to run over and hold Naruto so bad, but she knew that she couldn't. At least, not in the presence of her family…

As the ceremony died down, everyone started to go their separate ways. Asuma took his team to have barbeque as he had promised them. Gai also took his team to a restaurant to celebrate. Sakura went back to the hospital to check back up on Sasuke. Kiba and Akamaru had left for home to enjoy the beef feast they had been promised. As for Naruto, Teuchi and Ayame had dragged him to Ichiraku for free ramen. Hinata, not wanting to be left out, grabbed on to his arm. This did not go unnoticed by Ayame.

"_So Naruto has a girlfriend now? How sweet…"_

It had been a wonderful day, Naruto thought. He got the recognition of Konoha (or at least he was starting to), he had Hinata by his side, and he had the "food of the gods" in front of him.

"Hey, Naruto," Ayame asks after serving another customer their order, "I just noticed that you have some kind of mark on your neck. What happened? Are you alright?"

Naruto dropped his chopsticks and borrowed Ayame's mirror to look at himself.

"_How did that happen? I was with Hinata when...Hinata...that's how it happened..."_

"uh..." Naruto began as he started to blush. "It was some late night training..."

"_What kind of training could leave a mark like that?" _Ayame thought at first until she saw that Hinata was blushing and also had a similar mark on her neck. Ayame then fought to keep from giggling as she had found out the truth.

Training indeed...

--

_Naruto: Yatta! Hinata-chan loves me! I've got a girlfriend now! _

_Hinata: Naruto-kun... _

_Naruto: Now that Hinata and I are together, we have to keep our love secret from the entire village. And what's this? Sasuke is healed and is back to being a ninja? I'm going to kill that teme for making me risk my life for him... _

_Sasuke: Don't get in my way, Naruto! I am an avenger! Nothing is more important to me then that! _

_Naruto: Just stay out of my way, Sasuke! I'm going to be Hokage one day! _

_Naruto: Next time, on Naruto: "Forbidden Love! The New A ranked mission!" _

_Hinata: Naruto-kun...will we be ok? _

_Naruto: Of course we will, Hinata! I'll protect you! I don't go back on my words. That's my ninja way!_


	2. Forbidden Love:The New A Ranked Mission!

Tsunade was making her way towards the Konoha hospital. Now that the awards ceremony was over, she had some unfinished business to take care of...

Once inside, Tsunade made her way towards room 101, the room where Uchiha Sasuke was currently staying in. When she opened the door, she saw Haruno Sakura asleep in Sasuke's chest headfirst while their hands were interlocked.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile. It seemed that there was still some good inside the young Uchiha prodigy. That would make her proposition with him go a lot easier.

Tsunade gently woke Sakura up with a tap to her back.

"Tsunade-sama..."

"Sakura," Tsunade spoke softly, "I need to speak with Sasuke for a couple of minutes. Could you please leave the room?"

Sakura nodded her head as she slowly got up from Sasuke's chest. She gave Sasuke a quick kiss on the mouth before being escorted out of the room by one of Tsunade's guards.

_Chapter 2: Forbidden Love! The new A-ranked mission!_

_--_  
Once Sakura was out of the room and out of hearing range, Tsunade locked the door before turning to Sasuke.

"Just what in the hell were you thinking to go running off like that!?" Tsunade barked, with that former gentleness replaced with a surge of killer intent almost instantly.

"I didn't know you cared..._Hokage..."_

Tsunade pretended to ignore the obvious disrespect coming from Sasuke's mouth.

"Sasuke..." Tsunade tries again, with a more diplomatic approach, "Those boys risked their lives for you..."

"I never asked for anybody to come after me!" Sasuke yells, gritting his teeth, "This was something that I had to do myself! Why did you make those men waste their lives?"

_"Patience, Tsunade...as much as you want to strangle him now, remember your original purpose. Just be calm and then you will be able to reach him..."_

"Let me take a seat."

Tsunade grabbed a chair that was inside the room and placed it by Sasuke's bed so that they were closer.

"Sasuke...those boys went after you because they care-"

"Don't give me that shit! Nobody gives a damn about me! Konoha only likes me because I am from one of the most elite clans in this village! They like me simply for being an Uchiha! Nobody gave a damn when my brother killed everyone in my clan except for me! Nobody gave a damn when I had to spend the rest of my life with no family!"

_"Sasuke's life...it is very similar to Naruto's..."_

"Then you better then anybody knows how Naruto feels."

"Naruto?" Sasuke's eyes went wide at the mention of his name.

Sasuke then thought back...back to when he had faced Naruto attempting to stop him from reaching Orochimaru.

--  
_"Sasuke! I've found you! Now come on! Let's go back to the village!" _

_"I have no intention of returning, dobe..." _

_"Nani? What the hell are you talking about?" _

_"I've got a mission to fulfill. And I won't let anybody stand in my way. And if you try to stop me, I'll destroy you!" _

_"That's too bad Sasuke..." said Naruto as he got into a fighting stance. "My orders are to bring you back to the village. I can bring you back conscious, or unconscious. It really doesn't matter either way." _

_"Hmph." Sasuke let out as he also got into a fighting stance. "You were never able to compare to me. You will always be inferior. Let me prove that to you!" _

_"Don't say I didn't warn you Sasuke! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" _

_"You moron..."Sasuke spat out as he gripped his right wrist with his left hand and started to draw in energy. "You think you can stand up to my power? You think you're stronger then me?" _

_"I don't think I'm stronger then you..." said Naruto as his clones helped him gather the energy for his most powerful attack. "It's a fact. You just have a problem understanding that. But now that there is no Kakashi or Sakura around, I'll prove that to you once and for all!" _

_"Yes...let our attacks prove who is stronger..." Yelled Sasuke as he charged towards Naruto with the attack that he had been taught be Kakashi. "Chidori!!" _

_"Time to lose, Sasuke-chan! Rasengan!!"_

_--_  
"Don't compare me to that moron! We are nothing alike!"

"On the contrary Sasuke, you two both have a lot in common. Nobody else has grown up in this village without family in your generation but you 2. Unlike Naruto however, people respect you and don't hate you. I wish I could say the same about Naruto though."

"Huh?"

_"Now I've got your attention Sasuke..."_

"Haven't you ever wondered why everyone in this village hates Naruto?"

Sasuke was about to protest, but he found that he couldn't come up with a valid reason.

"You should be grateful, Sasuke. You may not have family, but at least you have people that care about you. This entire village loves you."

"What does this have to do with Naruto?" Sasuke asked as Tsunade poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher that was on the table.

"Lots." Tsunade said before drinking her glass of water and then putting the empty glass back on the table. "Ahh...That's much better. Anyway, while you may have people like Sakura adoring you, Naruto doesn't have anybody. Naruto would give anything to be in your place right now. I know that you have suffered through a lot, but so has Naruto, if not worse. Growing up for Naruto has literally been a living hell."

"Just what exactly happened to Naruto?"

"I'm afraid that is something only Naruto can tell you." Tsunade said as she got up from her chair and made her way towards the door. "What happened to Naruto is highly classified."

Sasuke was quiet while he thought about everything that Tsunade had told him.

"I'm giving you one of 3 options Sasuke." Tsunade said in a more serious tone. "Choice 1 is to go through rehabilitation. While you are on rehab, you will also be on suspension for your earlier actions. If you can successfully make it through rehab, then I will reinstate you as a shinobi of Konoha village and even give you a special mission that I feel will bring out the best of your abilities. If however, after a certain amount of time you are not able to pass your rehab, then I will have no choice but to put a seal on you that prevents you from accessing any of your chakra. You will be incapable of ever being a ninja ever again. You will be just like Rock Lee was after his fight with Gaara. Or if you want, you can make that choice right now."

"And what's my third option?"

Tsunade's face got even sterner. It was so serious that she almost looked like the old lady that she really was instead of the young beauty that she fooled people into thinking she was with her jutsu.

"Death."

Sasuke's boldness and stubbornness had temporarily been wiped away after hearing his third choice. His eyes were wide in shock, and his mouth was opened wide.

"Your actions are considered to be traitorous, especially considering what happened during the chuunin exam with the Sound. If it weren't for one important factor, we would not be having this conversation right now."

Sasuke tried to think. From what Tsunade was telling him, he should have already been dead. But due to some important reason, he wasn't. And in addition to that, he would be given a chance to reclaim his former glory? Normally Sasuke didn't give a damn about anything unless it helped him to further his goals. But this time, he was curious. What was it that allowed him to cheat death?

"Despite what you're thinking," Tsunade says as she looks at Sasuke's face stuck in confusion, "Neither Naruto or Sakura were factors in keeping you alive."

"Then why?!" Sasuke barks out, "Why am I still alive?"

Tsunade hated to admit it, but Sasuke had partially been right earlier. The higher ups did respect Sasuke because of his clan affiliation. He was the last of the Uchiha, a clan as old as the beginning of Konoha itself. And the power that came from the Uchiha was definitely a military advantage. Lots of members in the government were relying on Sasuke to bring in some new Uchiha blood. Since Sasuke was an endangered species, a lot of the officials argued about losing this rarity forever.

The reasons had been logical, Tsunade remembered as she sat in on that meeting. However, it wouldn't be enough to justify keeping Sasuke alive. He had committed treason. To betray your comrades was punishable by death. No questions asked.

Tsunade had also pleaded that to kill Sasuke, would defeat the entire purpose of the retrieval mission. If they wanted Sasuke dead so that he didn't reveal Konoha's secrets, they should have made the mission one of termination instead of retrieval. Killing Sasuke after all of the hard work the retrieval team went through would be a waste.

Unfortunately, even that didn't help Sasuke's case. It wasn't until Tsunade had unveiled her trump card, that she had been able to provide a legitimate reason to keeping Sasuke alive.

"How does your curse seal feel, Sasuke?" Tsunade asks, "Does it bother you?"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke answers, rubbing his neck where it once lay, "You removed it."

"Exactly," Tsunade answers back, "Your curse seal is what literally saved your live. Are you familiar with the woman known as Mitarashi Anko?"

Sasuke tried to think before things started to come together.

"She was the examiner for the Second Test of the Chuunin exams, why?"

"It turns out," Tsunade begins again, "That she also had a curse seal…"

Sasuke's eyes go wide in shock for the second time that day.

"Did you think you were the only one that Orochimaru ever had an interest in?" Tsunade mocks, "Oh no. You were merely his next test subject in a long line of victims. My point though, is that after conversing with Anko, she had told me that the curse seal sometimes gave her violent and bloodthirsty tendencies. On occasion, it would also make her long for Orochimaru as well. From studying Anko's curse seal, I was able to come to the conclusion that Orochimaru has somewhat of a control on people with his curse seals. That is what makes me feel that you do have some good in you and that given a second chance, you would make the right decision. Now, what is your fate going to be, Sasuke?"

All of the choices sucked, Sasuke thought. Option 2 wasn't even an option to begin with. Why would he want to give up his strength and the one thing he could really call his own? How else would he be able to kill Itachi if he couldn't fight?

Which led to option 3. Sasuke couldn't die. At least, not yet...he was an avenger. He had to make his older brother Itachi die for destroying their family...their heritage...their pride. It was because of Itachi that Sasuke's life was shit right now anyway...

Itachi took everything away from him. Somebody had to destroy Itachi. And only Sasuke could do it. For his clan, Sasuke had to kill his older brother. But if he was dead, then how could he do it?

Which meant that Sasuke had no choice but to take the first option. It cramped his style, but it was better then nothing. At least it gave Sasuke some time to prepare for Itachi. And with the curse seal gone, Sasuke could go full out on his abilities without having to worry about that damn seal sapping power away from him.

_"Itachi..." _Sasuke smirks, _"Your ass is mine...and this time, I will come out on top..."_

"Fine. I'll go with the first choice. When I complete your stupid rehab, just what kind of "special" mission do you have for me?

A light smile came to Tsunade's face. If all went according to plan, Sasuke would forget about Itachi unless he showed up himself. And she would be able to get Sasuke to open up even more and fill his heart with love, instead of hate.

"Anbu..."

With those final words, Tsunade opened the door to the room, and left. As she started to walk down the hall, Sakura ran into her.

"Tsunade-sama! Is Sasuke-kun going to be all right?"

"Yes. Sasuke will be just fine. He just needs some rest."

"Arigato." Sakura said as she bowed to her Hokage.

"You're quite welcome. Oh, and in one month, I want you to meet me in my office at 4:00 p.m. There are things that I want to speak to you about. And spread the message to anybody on Asuma's, Kurenai's, or Gai's teams. And if you get to Naruto before I do, give him the same message as well."

"Ok. I'll be there. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to Sasuke-kun."

Sakura then went back into Sasuke's room while Tsunade decided to go back to her office.

_"Ahh...young love..."_

_--_  
It was now late in the evening. Visiting hours for the hospital were over now, which meant that Sakura had to leave Sasuke and go home. As for Naruto, he was just finishing restocking his kitchen with ramen and milk...fresh milk...

That mission that Naruto had went on with Shikamaru and the others really gave Naruto a lot of money. Also adding in the fact that they weren't even Jounin yet meant that they all got bonuses for doing an assignment that wasn't even in their rank. When Hinata had to cut her visit with Naruto at Ichiraku short, Naruto had decided to take that extra money that he had saved up and do some grocery shopping for essentials, especially ramen. His supply had been running short as of late…

"That's the last one." Naruto says as he put in one more instant cup of ramen inside a cupboard and closed the door. "I now have enough ramen to last me for 2 whole months."

Having completed his task, Naruto was now at a loss of what to do. He was still full from Ichiraku earlier, so he didn't need anything to eat. He wasn't in the mood for training, and due to the results of the retrieval mission, Kakashi had said that there would be no team meetings until further notice. So what was one to do?

Just then, there was a knock at his door.

"Who could that be?" Naruto asked himself as he went towards the door.

It was Hinata, the only one that truly saw the good inside of him.

"Hi, Naruto-kun...I um...wanted to see you and..."

Naruto understood the meaning of those words and invited Hinata in. They both sat down on Naruto's couch. Once they did, Hinata gently gave Naruto a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I missed you, Naruto-kun..." Hinata said as she cuddled up close to Naruto's body and nuzzled her head on his neck.

"Yeah, I missed you too, Hinata-chan..." Naruto replied while he wrapped an arm around Hinata.

They sat like that for what felt like hours, but in reality had only been about 10 minutes. They were content with just being in each other's company, so there was no need for talk.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata began, finally breaking the long silence. "What are we going to do? If anybody finds out about us, then we could be in trouble."

"I know..." Naruto said seriously, having concern in his blue eyes. "But no matter what happens, I won't let anything happen to you. You are my precious person Hinata-chan, and I'll always be here. That's a promise of a lifetime!" Naruto finished up his speech with a grin.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata whispered as her entire body turned deep red.

Hinata then looked deeply into Naruto's eyes and gave him a nice, long, sensual kiss, a kiss that she had longed for, ever since she admitted her love for him the previous night. Now that Naruto knew her true feelings, Hinata no longer felt completely shy around him. And Hinata didn't hesitate to show Naruto just how much love she had for him when they were alone.

Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck as she deepened the kiss. Naruto pulled Hinata's body in closer towards him as he showed his "precious one" just how much she meant to him.

They didn't care that their love was forbidden...everyone could go to hell for all they cared...they were each other's strength, and nothing could tear them apart when they were together...

--  
During the rest of the month, Naruto and Hinata secretly trained together. On some days, they forgot about training and just had a make out session instead. But on the days that they actually did train, they taught each other a couple of things. Hinata taught Naruto about controlling the amount of chakra he uses for his techniques some. That was one thing that Naruto had not truly mastered, even when he had learned how to summon Kyubi's chakra from Jiraiya. Even with Kyubi's power boost, wasting energy was still something that could prove hazardous for Naruto if he didn't learn how to control it properly. Naruto in return, had taught Hinata his trademark technique, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Having Hinata learn one of his "preferred moves" not only increased their bond with each other, but also was essential when they wanted to spend time together and didn't want to add suspicion to the rest of the village. Learning Kage Bunshin really came in handy though when Naruto and Hinata would stay out really late at night, and Hinata didn't want to be missed at home. Hinata could just make a Kage Bunshin clone to take over for her until she got home. Nobody suspected a thing, which worked in Hinata's favor.

Finally, it was the day that Tsunade had asked them all to be present, and 10 genin, plus 1 chuunin were all waiting inside Tsunade's office.

"Thank you all for showing up," Tsunade said as the door was shut, "Let's get down to business. As you know, ever since Sandaime died, Konoha has been very busy working to rebuild the village and to prepare against threats such as Orochimaru and the Sound. Based on the events that happened about a month ago, Orochimaru is still alive and is still a threat. Our supply of ninjas is small. Ever since that battle with Orochimaru at the chuunin exams, we lost a lot of dedicated shinobi, and replacing them has been an arduous task, but I think I know a way to solve that problem. But before I tell you all my plans, let's welcome back an old comrade."

As soon as Tsunade opened the door, the eleven members of the Konoha 12 were in shock. There was no mistaking who was outside the door. There was no mistaking the blue and white that this young man wore. There was no mistaking the Uchiha fan on the back of his shirt.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted as she ran towards her teammate and embraced him.

Suddenly, Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Chouji, Lee, and Shikamaru were pissed to see Sasuke in front of them, and for good reason. Neji and Chouji were nearly killed, Kiba's dog Akamaru was killed, and while Naruto did come back alive, he looked like shit. Shikarmaru, Kiba, and Lee were the only ones that didn't come back from the mission looking like they had gone head on with a storm. And the reason for that was because they had assistance from Gaara and his siblings.

Tsunade knew things would get out of control if she didn't clear them up quickly.

"Through my studies, I found out that Sasuke had been controlled by Orochimaru," Tsunade lied, "Sasuke had no say in what he did, so please try not to hold that against him. He is truly sorry for the pain that he has caused you all, and he merely wishes to put it all in the past so that we can all move on. There will be no other questions regarding this. Is that clear?"

Naruto and Sakura knew that was bullshit. Sasuke knew exactly what he was doing! However, they both knew that Tsunade had been doing this their sake and for his, so they kept their mouth shut. Besides, the excuse actually worked! Nobody, not even Shikamaru, suspected a thing.

"Good." Tsunade said once everyone understood. "Now as I was saying, while the celebration was going on about a month ago, I had all of your teachers write a progress report on their students. How everybody was doing, what their strengths were, weaknesses, and so forth. Based on our current situation of rebuilding Konoha, I have decided to split you all up and assign you to different assignments and teams that will bring out the best in your abilities."

"What?" Ino protested, "You're breaking us up? You can't be serious!"

"Settle down." Tsunade says as she gets her clipboard out, "This is for the good of Konoha. Anyway, let's get started. Nara Shikamaru..."

Shikamaru stepped forward a bit.

"Since you are already a chuunin, you will be sent out to do more chuunin assignments out in the field. You are going to start working with other genin and training them to be good shinobi."

Upon hearing that, both Chouji and Ino started to worry.

"You're taking Shikamaru away from Chouji and me? You can't do that!"

"I know that this decision pains you, but you must all put personal feelings aside. Right now, Konoha needs Shikamaru's genius out in the field. Perhaps when things settle down I might reconsider my decision, but for right now, this is what is best."

"Shikamaru..." Ino whispered, as her eyes got watery.

"Shikamaru." Tsunade concludes, "You may go now. Report to my office at 6.am tomorrow for your assignment."

"Shikamaru, wait!" Ino shouted as she embraced him.

"Don't worry Ino." Shikamaru says calmly, "We'll still see each other."

Ino then pulled her head out of Shikamaru's chest and gave him a kiss.

As Ino kissed Shikamaru, he thought back to the advice his father Shikaku had given him one day.

"_Even the roughest woman…is tender to the guy she loves…"_

At first, Shikamaru had thought his father was speaking nonsense, but now it made sense. Ino, was bossy, egotistical, and just plain rude to him, Chouji, and anybody else that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"_Shikamaru!"_

_Shikamaru had just finished making his report to Tsunade when Ino met him outside her office._

"_Ino?" Shikamaru asked, "What's the matter? Is Chouji's condition worse?"_

"_No…" Ino said quietly, "Chouji's fine. His condition is no longer critical. His father is with him."_

"_Then what's wrong?"_

_This was when Shikamaru noticed something strange about Ino. Her face started blushing red and it looked like she was finding it difficult to breath._

"_Ino?" Shikamaru asked again, "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe we should get you checked into the hospital…"_

"_No!" Ino cried as she threw herself in Shikamaru's arms, "Please…don't…"_

"_Ino, I'm taking you to the hospital," Shikamaru says as he grabs her sides, "You're acting really troubleso-"_

_Before Shikamaru could say anything else, Ino had kissed him._

But after that one incident, Ino was no longer bossy, egotistical, or troublesome. At least, not to _him..._Everyone else still faced Ino's wrath, but to him she was always gentle and tender.

"Promise me that you'll be careful, ok?" Ino said after breaking their kiss.

"I will."

"Shikamaru." Chouji said, now approaching his teammates. "Take care of yourself. You were my first real friend."

"Likewise." Shikamaru responded. "And take care of Ino for me."

With that said, Shikamaru turned around and left Tsunade's office.

There was a brief silence in the room. Even though Shikamaru might have been a lazy-ass, he was still respected by all of the other genin. The fact that he was the only one to make chuunin was proof of that.

"Ahem." Tsunade coughed, bringing the attention back to her. "As you know, due to our village having to send in most of our shinobi on high ranked missions, the ninja academy had to be closed down. However, if we are to maintain our high morale, then we need to have more ninjas. And the only way to do that, is to have a teacher."

"But Tsunade-sama..." Sakura started, "Isn't Iruka-sensei out doing missions? How can he teach if he is somewhere else? Not even he can be two places at once..."

"That is precisely my point, Sakura." Tsunade answered. "Which is why I'm handing over the ninja academy position to you..."

Those words elicited quite a response from the remaining genin. Sakura? Academy teacher?

"Let me read you a bit of what Kakashi said about you Sakura." Tsunade said as she pulled out a piece of paper from her clipboard.

_"Sakura's main talent lies not in her raw power, but in her ability to use ninja skills without wasting any energy. Her chakra control is among some of the best that I have ever seen. Iruka also told me that Sakura was one of his top pupils in ninja academy. Her intelligence was in the top five students. And when I had my team do tree climbing exercises, she was the first one to master it. And she did it on her first try. Sakura's chakra control is better then some of our current chuunin and jounin today…"_

"Congratulations, Haruno Sakura..." Tsunade said with a smile.

"Alright, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he jumped up into the air.

"I am proud of you, Sakura-san!" Lee also congratulated, "Your flames of youth burn bright!"

"Yeah...good job...I guess..." Ino said, feeling a little bit jealous.

'The students need somebody like you. But that is not all. To ensure that we get our population of ninjas back up, I will also have Yamanaka Ino teach a class as well..."

Just then, both Sakura and Ino hugged each other.

"Congratulations, Ino." Sakura said to her long time best friend.

"Let's teach those kids how to be ninja!" Ino remarked back.

"You may go now ladies. Be at the academy tomorrow at 7am. Umino Iruka will be there to teach you 2 the basics of running a ninja academy."

"One more thing though, Tsunade-sama..." Sakura asks as she turns around, "I thought you had to be a chuunin to be an academy teacher..."

"Normally that would be the case," Tsunade answers, "But right now, Konoha is in a state of emergency. And with Iruka out doing missions, finding someone else qualified for the job is a difficult task. That's why I'm promoting you and Ino to Special Genin."

"Really?" Both girls asked with excitement in their voices. "This will be great!"

"Yes. Now go. You will receive your full instructions from Iruka tomorrow."

"See you later, Sasuke-kun! Bye Naruto!" Sakura yelled to her teammates as she left the office.

"Come by my house tonight, Chouji!" Ino said as she left, "I'll have some cake for you!"

"Cake? Yum!" Chouji yelled back as he patted his stomach in anticipation for food.

"Now...let's see..." Tsunade asked herself as she looked at her clipboard. "Who's next...Ah yes! Rock Lee!"

"Tsunade-sama!" Rock Lee said as he bowed forward with all of the grace that he could bring out. "I await your orders!"

"Rock Lee...I am permanently assigning you under Gai's tutelage. You will now be Gai's assistant, and will follow him wherever he goes on his travels."

"Tsunade-sama! You rock!"

To make sure Tsunade understood this, Lee gave her the "nice guy" pose.

"Go to the Konoha coffee shop right now. Gai is waiting there for you."

"As you wish, Tsunade-sama! So long, everyone! The green beast of Konoha must leave at once!"

And just like that, Rock Lee was gone.

"Hyuga Neji. Step forward."

Neji slowly approached Tsunade.

"Neji...as I told you privately, you are about to begin training for Anbu. However, there will also be two more that will be accompanying you. Gentlemen, when I call your name, step forward. Aburame Shino!"

Shino stepped forward and stood next to Neji.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

_"What?!" _Naruto thought, extremely pissed off, _"How does Sasuke get to be Anbu? I'm the one that brought his ass back to the village, and he gets to be Anbu? This isn't fair!"_

"Obaa-chan!" Naruto yelled. "How does Sasuke get to be Anbu? I should be Anbu! I'm better then him!"

"That's enough, Naruto." Tsunade firmly but calmly said. "I have my reasons. Are you questioning the judgment of your Hokage?"

Tsunade knew that Naruto wouldn't say anything more. By reminding Naruto of her "title", she had put him in his place, even if only briefly.

"Gentlemen. Your Anbu teacher will meet with you tomorrow at 5am by the bridge. Don't be late."

The 3 men then left.

"Ok...there are 5 of you left now...we are almost finished. The next team will be composed of Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Tenten."

The 3 called genin immediately stepped forward.

"Report back to me at eight tomorrow morning, and I'll have your assignment."

As Tenten, Kiba, and Chouji left the office, Naruto looked around and saw that it was now empty of everyone except for him, Hinata, Shizune, and Obaa-chan…

"Tsunade-sama..." Hinata began in a soft and timid voice. "Why are Naruto-kun and I the only ones left?"

"Simple." Tsunade answered as she set her clipboard down. "You 2 are going to be on the same team."

Both Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and immediately started blushing.

"But why only us 2?" Naruto asks, "How come our team is so small?"

"Naruto... what do you want more then anything else in the world?"

"To be Hokage!" Naruto said loudly and proudly.

"Why?"

"Because...when I'm Hokage...then the people in the village will have no choice but to acknowledge my existence. They will finally realize that I am a human being...and that I have feelings...and that I'm not a monster...and that there is more to me then the trouble making screw up people always think I am..."

Hinata nearly cried after hearing Naruto's reason of coveting the prestigious title of Hokage. Hinata finally understood why Naruto tried so hard...and why he never gave up.

"Hinata..." Tsunade said to the other genin. "Why do you wish to be shinobi?"

"I want to prove myself...to the village and my clan especially...that I am strong...that I'm not a loser...that I'm not a waste of life..."

Hearing Hinata's reasons for being ninja made something inside of Naruto click. It all sounded so familiar...but why?

"Naruto, Hinata. You two have the same dream..."

"You mean Hinata wants to become Hokage and open up the world's biggest ramen restaurant?"

"No Naruto..." Tsuande said as she smacked her forehead with her hand. Naruto had good intentions, and a good heart, but how could he be so clueless? And this was precisely the reason why Naruto was not quite ready to become chuunin. "Both of you desire acknowledgement. The two of you want the rest of the village to see you for your accomplishments, and not for your failures. You want people to be proud of you when they see you, and not feel like you are a disgrace to them whenever you are in their presence. The two of you would work better off together then with any of the other genin. That's why I'm assigning you two on the same team with a teacher that will be able to bring out the best in both of you..."

"You're going to get Ero-Sennin to teach me again?"

"No, I'm not letting you train under Jiraiya again…" Tsunade answered, "Besides, power is not what you lack, Naruto, but something else..."

"What is it? Tell me!" Naruto demanded.

"It's not my place to tell you, Naruto. It would be better if I let your teacher tell you what you are missing. But I'll let him deal with that tomorrow. Both of you will be training under somebody that is designed to help shinobi's advance to the next rank. Both of you meet back at the stadium at 7:30 am tomorrow. He will be here waiting for you. Now go. It's time for all of us to leave this place."

"Is he good?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. He is very good. He will bring out the best in both of you."

"He better be! Come on Hinata, I'll buy you some ramen!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her outside.

As Tsunade started to shut her office down, she thought back to the letters that had helped her determine the new paths for the Konoha Twelve, particularly Naruto and Hinata.

Unlike the other genin, Tsunade had two people write progress reports about Naruto. In addition to Kakashi, Tsunade also had Jiraiya write a progress report about Naruto. Both letters were very similar in terms of Naruto growing in strength, but there were key points that both ninja hit that made Tsunade strongly consider where to place Naruto.

_"In the beginning, things were difficult for Naruto. Getting along with his teammates Sakura and Sasuke was no easy chore. Sasuke is Naruto's biggest rival. Naruto wants to be acknowledged by everyone in the village, but Naruto wants acceptance from Sasuke more then anyone. Ever since the academy days, Naruto was playing catch up with Sasuke. Eventually, Naruto caught up to Sasuke in strength, but that is not what keeps Naruto from reaching his full potential. Naruto can be very hard headed at times. Under situations where a calm mind is necessary to completing a mission, this would prove to be a downfall against Naruto. Naruto does not lack the strength needed to be a chuunin, he lacks the mind of a chuunin. Naruto's skills of deduction are unfortunately, not very good. Naruto must be able to think ahead several steps in order to be a successful chuunin..."_

Jiraiya's report was not as articulate as Kakashi's but the same points were brought up.

_"Naruto reminds me of Minato…Determined and stubborn. Naruto has great strength, especially when you consider the fact that he has Kyubi inside of him. But Naruto's temper can hurt him in certain situations. He needs to be able to relax a bit more. Extreme anger is not always the answer to winning a battle. Sometimes, a clear mind does the job even better. If Naruto can't understand that, then he is doomed to fail..."_

Tsunade then thought back to the progress report that she had Kurenai write about Hinata. And that's where everything started to connect...

_"Hinata is such a sweetie! And so shy! I wish there was something I could do to break her out of her shell! She tries so hard not to let anybody down, especially her teammates. Coming from the Hyuga Clan, Hinata is without a doubt a very talented ninja. It is her confidence in her own abilities that is her weakness. Hinata is too passive about a lot of things, and she often lets things go without saying anything about him. However, I discovered something interesting about Hinata...It seems that one of the genin from team 7, Kakashi's team, has caught the eye of our Hinata. Upon closer inspection, I found out that Uzumaki Naruto, the boy that had Kyubi sealed into his body nearly 13 years ago, is an inspiration to Hinata. Somehow, it seems like this boy gives her the courage and strength to do just about anything. There might also be a possibility that Hinata has a crush on the boy. This I'm not certain about, but one thing I do know is that Naruto seems to do more for Hinata then even her own father. I don't agree with a lot of the ways that the Hyuga clan do things, but I would be out of place to tell them in their face. In closing, Hinata's worst enemy is herself..."_

This was what made both Naruto and Hinata interesting to Tsunade. Both were trying to reach the same path, and both had the same negative people around them, and their greatest weaknesses were inside them. However, Naruto's greatest weakness was more external while Hinata's was more internal.

"Those 2 will make an interesting team," thought Tsunade as she left the building. She still had a blackjack game later on that night to get to. Sure, she wasn't supposed to be gambling anymore, but nobody said Tsunade couldn't gamble if they couldn't recognize her...

She was known as the legendary sucker for a reason...she still loved to gamble. She seemed to be sucked into games of chance. Perhaps now that she had been Hokage for a bit, she could end that curse and become the legendary winner...

--  
Naruto could hardly sleep last night. Not since he became genin had Naruto felt so much anticipation for what was to come. At 7:00 am, Naruto was already out the door and jogging towards the Konoha stadium. He didn't want to make a bad impression for his new teacher that Tsunade "claimed" was really good...

Naruto arrived at his destination with 10 minutes to spare. Hinata was already there 5 minutes prior, so at least he had a good way to kill some time before their teacher arrived.

"Morning, Naruto-kun!" Hinata said as she gave Naruto a hug.

"Morning, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said returning the hug. "Are you ready to meet our teacher?"

"I guess..."

"I hope he isn't going to be late like Kakashi-sensei always was..." Naruto said, tapping his foot on the ground and having his arms crossed against his chest. "If he is as good as Obaa-chan said he was, then he should be early!"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at Naruto's antics. He always made her laugh and feel good, even when he wasn't trying.

"Good...you 2 both showed up on time...I'm impressed..."

"Nani? What was that?" Naruto asked as he kept looking in every direction to find out the location of where the voice came from.

"Byakugan!" Hinata yelled as she activated the jutsu that came from her advanced bloodline.

Hinata looked all around Naruto and her twice. On the second try, Hinata saw some chakra behind Naruto.

"Naruto-kun! Behind you!"

Naruto turned around and saw smoke disappearing. As the smoke disappeared, a figure that had been hiding in there became clearer to see. When Naruto saw who it was, his mouth opened wide.

"Greetings, Naruto. It's been a long time..."

"Naruto-kun? What is the matter? Do you know who he is?"

Naruto was still startled as he locked eyes with someone that he didn't think he would be seeing again for a very long time...

_"Ebisu-sensei? Oba-chan is making Hinata and I train under him? The closet pervert?"_

--  
_Naruto: So the closet pervert is our new teacher, eh? Well you better teach me some new jutsus, or else I'll be forced to use my "Harem no Jutsu" on you! _

_Ebisu: Naruto! You still haven't learned a thing! A true shinobi does not rely on strength alone! _

_Naruto: Why couldn't Ero-Sennin be my teacher? He was so much cooler! _

_Naruto: Next time on Naruto: "Path to Chuunin! The first day of training begins!" _

_Hinata: Naruto-kun...maybe he does know a couple of things... _

_Naruto: Yeah, he knows how to be a pervert! If you want to teach me, then you'll have to prove yourself! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_


	3. Path to Chuunin!

_Sorry for such the long delay everyone, but there were "outside issues" that prevented me from getting this chapter going. For one thing, my cpu had a major bug in it, so I had to clean it out. Second, I was tied up with work. But now that I've figured things out, I'll update this story a lot more often now. I am already working on a Chapter 4 while you read this. Thank you so much for the reviews!_

_The other reason for this chapter coming out so late is because I was having problems trying to start it off. My first draft had Tsunade and Kakashi talking about the future of team 7, but then I axed that because it was boring me! And if I'm bored, I know that you readers will feel it even worse. Hopefully, this chapter should deal with some of the controversy that I had with Chapter 2. _

_And finally, I wanted to make sure that "Acknowledgement" stood out from all of the other NaruHina stories. There are a lot of great Naruhina stories on like Nindo, Two Halves, Victory Kyubi, I'm not alone (which is actually the story that inspired me to write Naruto fics), and even though it's not Naruhina but NaruSaku, I also like genin. There are a lot of other great Naruhina stories as well, but if I listed them all, then the list would be longer then the fanfic itself! (lol) Anyway, since I appreciate all of you reading this little piece of work that we call "fanfiction", I need to do something to keep it from being just "another NaruHina fic". I want to make sure that when you read each and every new chapter of Acknowledgement, you get the feeling that you haven't read it in any other story before. I want you to have the feeling that you can read another story like Nindo and not be able to compare it to mine. I want all of those other great NaruHina stories to have their own individuality about them without being compared to someone else._

_Now in no way am I trying to say that I want to be better then everyone else, for that's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that I want this to be a worthwhile story to anyone who reads it. That's one of the main reasons why I put in the "anime episode" style. It gives this NaruHina story a different feel. Well...that' s enough from me. I hope you enjoy this, and I'll see you at Chapter 4!_

_Trutenor_

-----

"Byakugan!" Hinata yelled as she activated the jutsu that came from her advanced bloodline.

"Hinata-chan! Do you see anything?"  
  
"Naruto-kun! Behind you!"  
  
Naruto turned around and saw smoke disappearing. As the smoke disappeared, a figure that had been hiding in there became clearer to see. When Naruto saw who it was, his mouth opened wide.  
  
"Greetings, Naruto. It's been a long time..."  
  
"Naruto-kun? What is the matter? Do you know who he is?"

"_Ebisu-sensei...the closet pervert that fell victim to my Harem no Jutsu...why is that old hag giving him to me and Hinata-chan?"_

_Chapter 3:_ _Path to Chunnin! The first day of training begins!_

_-----_

"Looks like I'm the first one here..."

Hyuga Neji had just arrived at the Konoha bridge fifteen minutes early. Being the first one there, Neji closed his eyes and meditated for a bit to clear his mind and reflect on where his life journey had taken him so far...

At the tender age of three, his life had been changed forever...when his uncle Hiashi had placed the branch clan curse upon his forehead, signifying that he was "inferior" to the main house of the Hyuga dynasty. Despite all that, Neji rose to become the best and most powerful Hyuga warrior in the branch and main houses combined. There was a reason why Neji had been ranked the #1 rookie of the previous genin class...this kid could fight, and he did it well. His attacks were smooth like water, yet strong like a rock. To make a long story short, Neji was unsurpassed in skill, technique, and power, and was almost invincible...

That was what Neji had thought at first...until he suffered defeat at the hands of Uzumaki Naruto...

Naruto had graduated (just barely) at the bottom of the class. He was known as the biggest prankster in all of Konoha. For whatever reason that they had, everyone in the village hated this young man that had no family.

But inside that stadium during the chunnin finals, Naruto was a different person from the prankster and troublemaker that people often said that he was...

For one thing, his persistence to win had been annoying at first, but upon understanding the nature of his "never give up" attitude, Neji had to admit that Naruto had earned his respect that day...

Naruto did not fight for himself that day...he had fought for his cousin Hinata...as well as the rest of the Hyuga empire. Naruto had said he would one day "change" the clan when he finally achieved the rank of Hokage. This was the joke that everyone laughed at. Naruto was the last person that anybody would expect to become Hokage. What a funny joke...Naruto...Hokage...but then again...maybe it wasn't a joke after all...

Naruto's strength had come from his desire to help others...caring for others...that seemed to be true strength...

But despite his lost, Neji did not feel like a loser. In fact, Neji finally felt free...free from the curse that befell all Hyuga's that just happened to be born on the "branch" side. Why did this have to matter so freaking much? What difference did it make of who was born first and on which side? Konoha was supposed to be known for its strength and unity among the people, yet ironically, segregation was taking place behind closed doors.

But that did not stop the progress of Hyuga Neji...being one of the "chosen" few selected by newly appointed chunnin Nara Shikamaru, Neji went on a quest to rescue the only remaining member of the other clan said to rival that of the Hyuga: The Uchiha...

That battle with Orochimaru's men had been a true test of his skills as a ninja...Neji had thought that he would die on that battlefield, but the impact that Naruto's words had made in his heart had given Neji the strength, and the will, to defeat his foe and buy time for the others...

Everything went black after that last blow to his opponent. _"Death is coming..."_ Were the words that entered the Hyuga prodigies mind, but his thoughts had proven him wrong when his comrades, who had succeeded in their mission to bring back the runaway Uchiha, waked him up a while later and helped him to get back to the village for some much needed rest and recuperation.

His skills had always been praised...only this time; they would finally be given the respect that they deserved. Upon returning to the village, Neji was appointed by Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, to be trained to become an Anbu member. Becoming an Anbu was the next best thing to being a sennin, or Hokage itself.

Being trained for a new position meant getting new teammates as well. One of those new teammates was from Kurenai's team, the same team that his cousin Hinata happened to be on. Aburame Shino was the name of this new teammate, and he came from the mysterious Aburame clan, a clan that used bugs as a way of life. _"Shino could prove to be a very useful teammate..."_ Neji thought...

But it was that other new teammate that was going to be on his team that had peeved Neji off a bit. Neji's other teammate was going to be none other then Uchiha Sasuke...

Sasuke came from the Uchiha clan...the clan said to rival that of the Hyuga. While the Uchiha's didn't have the ability of "Byakugan", they were blessed with a different eye jutsu called "Sharigan". According to the stories that he had read about the history of Konohagakure, the Uchiha clan was slightly related to the Hyuga clan. Which meant that Sasuke was like a distant cousin or something.

If Sasuke was a distant cousin, then it had to be true since Sasuke was the new #1 ranked rookie of the current genin class. This was the dream match that everybody in the village had dreamed about. The Hyuga versus the Uchiha. Which clan was stronger?

Upon the beginning of the chunnin exams, a part of Neji had wanted to test the skills of the Uchiha prodigy, but he had more important matters to deal with at the time...being frustrated with his place in the Hyuga clan, Neji took all his anger out on his cousin Hinata.

Long after the chunnin exams had ended, Neji thought that one day he might get that chance to challenge Sasuke, but then Sasuke had decided to run away from the village and turn his back on it. So Neji and the rest of the members on his team found him, beat his ass, and brought him back to the village.

And now this guy...the same guy, who had run away from everything, was going to be on the same team as him? That was not right...that Uchiha brat didn't deserve to be on the same team. This was one of those times when Neji had to question the reasoning of the Hokage. Why would Tsunade put an ungrateful brat on one of the most elite teams in the village? Something just didn't add up here...

And speaking of Uchiha's, Sasuke was starting to approach the Konoha bridge now. Neji had opened his eyes upon feeling the strong aura of chakra emanating from the Uchiha boy.

Both boys glared at each other upon initial eye contact. They were both a bit upset with each other. Sasuke was still a bit unhappy that the Hyuga snob had assisted in preventing him from reaching Orochimaru while Neji was not delighted to see the ungrateful brat that he had risked his life for to rescue on the same team as him.

Let's just hope that the instructor for this team is extremely strong and powerful...already, 2 of its members were off to a rocky start, and things can quickly become chaotic at the drop of a hat...

-----

"Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino...It's good to see you 2 ladies again..."

Umino Iruka had just arrived at the Ninja Academy and was discussing the new plans for the school while enjoying a small breakfast of tea and rice balls.

"It's a shame that you won't be able to teach the students anymore, Iruka-sensei..." Sakura sighed while she drank a cup of green tea.

"Yeah. There isn't a better teacher then you..." Ino also added in while pouring a cup of tea for Iruka.

"Thanks for the compliments, girls." Iruka thanked the ladies as he accepted the cup of tea from Ino. "But you know what the state of Konoha is in. I'm needed out in the field more then I am in the school. But that's why you 2 are here. To ensure that the school doesn't need to close again."

"But...do you really think that we can do it?" Sakura asked while taking a bite out of a rice ball.

"There isn't a more qualified person to teach then you two." Iruka said while bringing the cup of tea to his lips. "When the Hokage showed me the progress reports of all of my students, I saw who was capable of teaching and who was not. You and Ino were the perfect match."

"What about Shikamaru?" Ino asked, while drinking some tea. "Isn't he the genius? How come you didn't have him teach instead?"

"I thought about that..." Iruka said slowly, being careful to choose how he said his words. "But...Shikamaru's skills are needed out in the field more. Also...being a teacher is about more then just knowing information. One must be able to have an impact on their students and give them a reason to want to learn. Nothing against Shikamaru, but he really isn't the most enthusiastic of ninjas. The ninja academy teacher must be able to reach out to the ones that they teach."

"I see..." Both Sakura and Ino replied while slowly nodding their heads forward.

"Now..." Iruka said putting down his cup of tea. "Let's get started on what you 2 will need to be able to teach."

Iruka pulled out a couple of books out of his bag and handed one to each kunoichi. Iruka then pulled out a third copy of the same book for himself.

"These are your ninja academy teacher guides." Iruka began as he opened the book to the first page. "Inside are suggestions for dealing with the students as well as a list of all of the basic jutsus of Konoha. There are also writings on describing the different types of ninja techniques such as Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu, as well as descriptions on the animal hand gestures needed to activate certain kind of jutsus. Are there any questions?"

"Just one." Sakura said, raising her hand up. "If I'm not mistaken, a minimum rank of Chunnin is required to be able to be a ninja academy teacher. Now...are we officially chunnins?"

"Not quite." Iruka said as he went back into his bag. "But if you teach at the ninja academy for a couple of years, you can slowly work your way up to a Chunnin."

Iruka pulled out 2 badges with the Konoha symbol on them and handed them to Sakura and Ino.

"Those badges give you the rank of a special genin as well as the rank of a Ninja Academy teacher. During a mission, you will have the rank of genin, but while you are teaching at Ninja Academy, your title will be a bit higher. You 2 are now officially qualified to teach students in Ninja Academy and help them become genins. "

"Is the role of a special genin similar to the role of a special jounin, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked while looking inside the teacher guide.

"Somewhat." Iruka replied back. "The only difference is that you and Ino are only qualified to teach students that are academy students and ninja's that are genin. Here is a guide to help you 2 understand a bit better..."

Iruka pulled out a big piece of paper from his bag and opened it up.

"Here are the ninja rankings. I'm sure that you've seen this before, but this one goes more into depth then the old version. Here at the top, you see the picture of Tsunade-sama, our fifth Hokage. Underneath her, you see a picture of Jiraiya, a sennin. Underneath him are Kakashi and Asuma, your team leaders who also happen to be Jounin, or elite ninjas. Underneath them is the special Jounin Ebisu. As a special Jounin, Ebisu is qualified to teach anybody in Konoha and help him or her advance to the next rank or improve his or her skills as shinobi. Underneath Ebisu is a picture of Shikamaru, a chunnin. Chunnins are qualified to teach as well as have a team of genin underneath them to do missions. Underneath Shikamaru is Naruto, a genin. And underneath Naruto is Konohamaru, Ninja Academy student. In between Naruto and Shikamaru we will put your pictures ladies." Iruka says while pulling out a marker and drawing 2 heads of Sakura and Ino. "You 2 are special genin. Your abilites are very similar to Ebisu except that you can only teach people that are below your ninja rank."

"Now I have a question." Ino says while raising her hand. "If Ebisu is a lot more qualified to teach then us, then how come you don't have him run the ninja academy?"

"Ebisu has just taken on 2 students personally, so he would not have the time to run the ninja academy." Iruka says, finishing off a rice ball. "But don't worry. You 2 will do fine! I have the utmost confidence in both of your teaching abilities ladies! Now are there any other questions?"

Both ladies shook their heads no.

"Good." Iruka said getting up from his seat and closing his bag. "Now if you'll excuse me. I need to get back home and pack. I have a B-ranked mission to go to tomorrow morning. I will be gone for about 2-4 days."

"Thanks for the advice, Iruka-sensei!" Sakura happily yelled at Iruka as he started to walk towards his home.

"We won't let you down!" Ino also happily yelled while she waved her hands goodbye.

As soon as Iruka was gone, Sakura and Ino went back into the Ninja Academy classroom to clean up.

"We will do fine, Sakura! Those children are in good hands with us in charge!"

"Hell yeah!" Sakura replied back to Ino. "We will teach and raise the best students in Konoha village!"

"_At least...I hope we can do it..."_ Inner Sakura thought. _"I just hope we haven't bitten off more then we can chew..."_

_-----_

"Tell me something...Uchiha..." Neji asked with a hint of disdain in his voice. "Why did you leave the village?"

"Personal reasons...Hyuga..." Sasuke responded back also with some slight coldness. "Reasons that have nothing to do with Konoha..."

There was a bit of silence between the two genins as they digested the slight bit of conversation that they shared with each other. Neji closed his eyes again and meditated, while Sasuke just looked over in a different direction with his chin resting on his fingers. Finally, about 2 minutes later, Sasuke spoke again...

"Now I have a question for you..." Sasuke asked, still looking away in a different direction. "Why did you go after me?"

"Shikamaru asked me..." Neji answered back, eyes still closed. "He needed the best genin that he felt most worthy to go after you and bring you back to the village..."

"Just don't get in my way..."

"I should be saying that to you..."

"hmph..."

"hmph..."

'Hey guys..."

Sasuke looked in the opposite direction while Neji opened his eyes. Both boys looked towards the Konoha bridge and saw Aburame Shino, their third teammate, approaching them.

"Hey..." Was all that Sasuke said.

"Shino..." Neji responded.

Shino found a corner of his own to stand in. Once he was nice and comfortable, the sounds of silence entered the Konoha bridge once again...

"So..."Shino spoke up, breaking the silence. "Do either of you know who our teacher is going to be?"

"No..." both Sasuke and Neji said simultaneously, almost like they were twins.

"Oh..." Shino responded back. Everything suddenly went silent again...

Shino looked at his watch after a while. It was now 5:15 a.m. Their teacher was 15 minutes late. What kind of teacher was late?

"Sorry I'm a little late...but a fire broke out in Konoha village, and I used a couple of water jutsus to put out some of it until the Konoha fire department was able to arrive..."

Sasuke smirked when he heard that comment. Only one person made up excuses for his tardiness...

"Liar..." Sasuke said to the shinobi that had just arrived at the Konoha bridge.

"Sasuke..." the shinobi, known as Hatake Kakashi responded back. "It's been a while..."

"Is he always late for training missions?" Neji asked.

"Pretty much..." Sasuke answered.

"Then the rumors that Kurenai-sensai told my team were true..." Shino added in.

"What rumors?" Kakashi asked Shino.

"That you are always late to meetings, missions, or anything else that requires you to show up at a specific time. And rather then tell the truth, you always make up some kind of lame excuse for your tardiness..."

"Who is making up excuses? I'm telling the truth! There was a fire in downtown Konoha! I had to use a couple of water jutsus to put out some of it!"

"You might be an elite ninja," Neji added in, "But you are a horrible liar."

Kakashi sighed as he pulled out his copy of Icha Icha paradise. It looked like this team was going to be the same as his old team 7...

-----

"Hokage-sama!" Yelled one of the assistants as he ran into the Hokage office.

"...huh...what's going on?"

"Hokage-sama! You were asleep, weren't you?!"

"Me? Asleep? No...I wasn't asleep..."

"Yes you were! I just saw you!

"No I wasn't..." Tsunade said as she wiped some drool off of her face. "I was working on a new jutsu that goes deep into the subconscious. While it is in effect, it gives people the impression that one is asleep when really they are not..."

"A new jutsu, huh?" The assistant questioned Tsunade.

"Of course. Anyway, what is the commotion?"

"A fire started in downtown Konoha about 5 am this morning. Fortunately, Hatake Kakashi was able to keep it from spreading by using a couple of water jutsus until the Konoha fire department arrived to finish the job."

"So the fire is out now?"

"Yes."

"Was anybody injured or killed?"

"As far as we know, no..."

"Good. I want a full report at noon. And make sure that I'm not disturbed again until Nara Shikamaru arrives at 6 a.m. as I want to perfect this new mind jutsu that I'm working on."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The assistant said as he went towards the door. "I'll make sure of that."

As soon as the assistant was out of the room, Tsunade lay her head back on the desk again and went back to sleep.

"_damn...this is what I get for gambling late last night...and what's worse is that I didn't win a single game of blackjack either...oh well..."_

And just like that, Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, was asleep once more...

-----

"...I have no dreams for the future...my dreams are all in the past...but I do want to kill a certain individual..."

Neji had thought at first that he shouldn't give a damn about what Sasuke had said, but it sounded familiar somewhat...whoever Sasuke had a vendetta against reminded Neji of his feud with the main family of the Hyuga clan. Neji had felt the same way that Sasuke did. Once he had received that branch curse upon his forehead at age three, Neji had felt like any dreams that he might have had for the future would only become a thing of the past. But then after Naruto defeated him in the chunnin finals, his uncle Hiashi tried to "make up" with him. On that day, Neji realized that slowly, the Hyuga clan had just taken its first step towards change. Thanks to Naruto, Neji's dreams that he had put away in the past just might have a chance of making it into the future.

"_It seems that the Uchiha brat isn't much different from myself...maybe I can set him free the way Naruto set me free..."_

"Befpre we go any further..." Kakashi said, looking up from his book for a second. "...I think there is something that you should know...none of you...are Anbu..."

That comment got the attention of all three young shinobi's. What did he mean "not Anbu?" The Hokage had said that they would be training for Anbu! Was he lying?

"Let me clarify..." Kakashi said, holding up a hand to calm his team down. "None of you are quite ready for Anbu. But all three of you come from clans with advanced bloodlines that have abilities that would suit Anbu very well. After Orochimaru's attack during the chunnin finals, we lost a lot of Anbu, and replacing them has been even more difficult a task then regular ninjas. Some of the assignments that were reserved solely for Anbu have now been passed down due to our low number. But you from clans with natural abilities that are perfect for scouting. So the Hokage has decided to make a special genin team designed to take on a couple of the lighter assignments that the Anbu normally do. You three were her top picks in making a new "Anbu genin" team. Your team name is "team Anbu." You are all still regular genins, but you can become drafted to Anbu after being on this team for a while."

"So..." Shino spoke up. "This team is to see if we have what it takes to be in Anbu?"

"Precisely..."

Sasuke really didn't give a damn, just as long as it brought him one step closer to getting more power to defeat his brother Itachi.

"Now..." Kakashi said dusting himself off and heading across the Konoha bridge to the other side, "Prepare your weapons. Get your bodies ready for battle. Cause in one hour from now, I'm going to give you three an obstacle course to see if you have what it takes to even remain on this team..."

And with those words, Hatake Kakashi disappeared into thin air.

So for the next hour, the three genins got themselves ready for combat. Target practice on nearby trees with kunai's and shurikens, push ups, and meditation during the last thirty minutes to get their chakra ready. Finally, 1 hour had passed, and Kakashi had reappeared in front of the boys.

"I hope you three are ready. Let's go."

The 3 genin followed Kakashi across the Konoha bridge to an area that wasn't used that often.

"Gentlemen...we are going to do a little "role playing..."

-----

"Oh...it's only you..."

Ebisu immediately fell down to the floor anime style.

"What do you mean, it's only me?" Ebisu questioned Naruto as he started to get back up from the floor. "I'm a special jounin. I'm your best ticket to getting stronger! I'm..."

"A weakling and a closet pervert..." Naruto finished up, making Ebisu fall to the floor once again. "Not only did I beat you, but Ero-sennin did too! Konohamaru can probably beat you by now!"

"Come on Hinata..." Naruto said as he grabbed Hinata's hand and started to walk away from the Konoha stadium. "Let's get out of here..."

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata asked, blushing from hand contact with Naruto, "Where are we going?"

"To Oba-chan's office! I'm going to make her give us a different teacher!"

"It's true, Naruto...you are stronger then me..."

When Naruto heard that statement come out of Ebisu's mouth, he stopped walked and turned around.

"...but...having strength alone is not the key to victory. One must also plan ahead before executing a move or else it will be used against them..."

"I already know that!" Naruto yelled back.

"Then prove it to me!" Ebisu returned. "Prove to me how well you know this! Fight me! If you win, you and Hinata will be free to find another teacher. But if I win, then the 2 of you will listen to everything I say without question. Do we have a deal?"

"_I'll show him..." _Naruto thought. This was the chance that he wanted to get rid of the closet pervert once and for all. Even though his idea about walking on water during the chunnin exams was pretty useful, Jiraiya upstaged Ebisu and knocked him out cold in one blow. Jiraiya helped Naruto to master the technique that Ebisu was originally going to teach him, as well as taught Naruto how to channel Kyubi's energy whenever needed. Aside from all that, "Ero-sennin" also taught Naruto "Kuchiyose No Jutsu" and the "Rasengan", a technique created by Yondaime, the fourth Hokage. What could the closet pervert do that Ero-sennin couldn't?

"Yeah...I accept..."

Five minutes later, Naruto and Ebisu were standing across from each other face to face in the stage of the Konoha stadium. Naruto and Ebisu had taken out their regular ninja weapons and instead replaced them with kunai's and shurikens that had the blades dulled down so that they wouldn't cause injury upon contact but were still strong enough to leave somewhat of an impact.

"Now the rules are simple, Naruto. We both have a bell around our neck. Yours is blue while mine is red. Your goal is to remove the red bell from my neck while my goal is to remove the blue bell from your neck. Whoever accomplishes their goal first wins. Go all out, Naruto. Don't hold back on me."

"_You'll regret saying that, closet pervert..." _Naruto thought to himself as he tightened his ninja headband. _"This is gonna be easy!"_

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata yelled to Naruto from the sidelines, "Good luck!"

"Thanks, but I won't need it, Hinata-chan! This will be over in a couple of minutes! Then I'll take you to Ichiraku for some ramen!"

Ebisu smirked as he got into a fighting stance.

"_Overconfident are we...I'll show you...that you still have a lot to learn Naruto..."_

"Begin!"

No sooner had those words been said do we find Naruto lunging towards the bell string on Ebisu's neck with a kunai. Ebisu was obviously prepared for this sort of offensive attack though, and jumped back just in time to avoid his bell getting cut off.

"Don't hold back on me Naruto..." Ebisu cautioned again. "If you don't try your hardest, you won't stand a chance."

"_Don't say I didn't warn you..." _Naruto thought to himself as he crossed his index and middle fingers together to form a jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately four real copies of Naruto were summoned at his side in a poof of smoke. Ebisu smirked upon seeing Naruto use this technique. It was exactly what he wanted him to do...

"_Just as I expected...Naruto always uses Kage Bunshin near the beginning of a match...and I can feel slightly less energy used to summon these then last time...Naruto, you have gotten slightly better at controlling the amount of energy you use for your techniques...but it is still not good enough...you still need more work..."_

Naruto and his clones started to charge towards Ebisu now, but Ebisu crossed his fingers together the same way that Naruto just did earlier.

"_Now I'll show you why I'm a special Jounin, Naruto..." _Ebisu thought to himself as he channeled some chakra into his body. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Now four real copies of Ebisu were on the field. Naruto and his clones stopped dead in their tracks after Ebisu summoned them.

"What's the matter?" Ebisu and all of his clones said simultaneously, "Did you forget that you're not the only one that can use Kage Bunshin? It is a Jounin skill after all..."

"Shut up!"

Naruto gritted his teeth as he sent his clones towards Ebisu. Ebisu sent his clones towards Naruto's in retaliation and had them grab on to his.

"Now what are you going to do, Naruto? My clones have stopped yours and prevented them from attacking..."

"This!" Naruto said, bringing his hands together. "Bakuretsu!"

Immediately, Naruto's clones exploded, taking out Ebisu's clones with them and leaving behind a lot of smoke.

"_Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu..." _Ebisu thought to himself as the smoke from the exploding Kage Bunshin clones dissappeared. _"The technique that makes Kage Bunshin clones explode...very impressive, Naruto..."_

Just then, Ebisu felt a kunai to his neck.

"Give up..." Naruto said as he tightened his hold on Ebisu's body. "My Bakuretsu Kage Bunshin clones were merely a diversion to get up close...now your bell is mine!"

"Very nice, Naruto..." Ebisu spoke back as he closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax. "Indeed victory would be yours...if I wasn't a clone..."

Just then, Ebisu's clone disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"But..." Ebisu said as he reappeared behind Naruto with a kunai of his own. "Because of your miscalculations, victory has been delivered into my hands!"

"Heheheh..." Naruto grinned as he laughed. "I'm going to tell you what I've told everyone else in this village. Don't underestimate me!"

Now Naruto's body disappears into a puff of smoke confirming that Naruto was also a clone. The real Naruto reappears in front of Ebisu a couple of inches away with one finger pointed at Ebisu.

"I told you not to underestimate me!"

From the sidelines, Hinata is awed from the action that has taken place.

"_Naruto-kun...you are so amazing...I wish I could be strong like you..."_

_-----_

"We are going to simulate a realistic Anbu mission..."

"What kind of mission?" Neji asked.

"Simple...for the purpose of this game, I am going to play a missing-nin that has turned traitor towards Konoha village..."

When Sasuke heard this, he immediately wanted to go home. This was without a doubt, a reminder of what he had attempted to do a while ago. This was basically just rubbing salt in old wounds. His mission had failed. Upon waking up in Konoha hospital, he found out that all of the sound nin were defeated by the Konoha "rescue team". Basically in the end, Sasuke had just proven to the village that he was an idiot for attempting to leave. But what choice did he have? Sasuke needed to get stronger...and he was indeed tired of playing "Konoha games". He had no attachments to Konoha anymore...

Or so he thought...

Sasuke thought back to his old team...team 7...Kakashi wouldn't be missed cause he was going to be teaching team Anbu. Besides...Kakashi used to be an Anbu captain at one point...who better to teach this team? And...Sasuke had to admit...that nobody brought out his abilities as well as Kakashi did...

But...it was his former 2 teammates that he would dearly miss...

First, there was Haruno Sakura...that girl had been such a nuisance during team 7's existence. Always asking him to go on a date with her...always acting so "lovey-dovey"...always trying to get close to him. Why didn't she get the message? He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be hurt again.

But then she had to commit a sin...

She had to say that she loved him with all of her heart...

"_Love...who is she kidding? Does she even know what love is? Does she truly know what she is getting herself into? Why does she claim to have this much affection for me?"_

Love was a funny thing, it seemed... Every female genin had wanted to get with him at one point or had slight crushes...Sakura, Ino, Tenten from the previous genin class, even that sand kunoichi Temari...in fact, the only one who didn't have eyes for him was the cousin of Neji...

Hyuga Hinata.

For she had eyes for his teammate Naruto...

Naruto...

That was the other piece of the puzzle.

Naruto was a lot like him...alone...no family...determined to be the strongest. Maybe that's why Naruto had become his biggest rival...

And his best friend...

Who would have thought...that the person dearest to him would be the one that everyone in the village laughed at?

Naruto tried so much to better himself...it was funny...in the beginning...he could barely do anything...he was the dead last...but now...his strength was enough to rival his own...

And then he had the nerve to try and bring him back to the village...why did that dunce have to stop him? Sasuke needed to have completed his mission and get power from Orochimaru so that he could finally kill Itachi...

And then...he would tell Naruto thank you...for being his best friend...and then tell Sakura...that he also loved her...

But...things had not gone as planned...and now he was stuck playing "boy scout" for Konoha once again...

_Kuso..._

"Before we begin this game..." Kakashi said, as he brought his hands together. "Let's make it a bit more interesting. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately the field was filled with several clones of Kakashi. Then each clone except two and the original Kakashi used Henge no Jutsu to transform into random sound nin before scattering off into the field.

"The less you alert their attention, the better. Your goal is to defeat me, but you will also have to deal with several of my men. How many that is depends on your actions..."

The 3 genins said nothing as the final 2 Kakashi clones stepped forward.

The first one transformed himself into Mizuki.

"I'm sure you heard of how the chunnin Mizuki had tried to take over Konoha. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say that he attempted to turn traitor and paid for it...for this exercise, let's just say that he has escaped...he wants to control Konoha...and to do that...he has taken a hostage..."

The second Kakashi clone transformed himself into Konohamaru.

"Mizuki has taken Konohamaru hostage. Your mission is not only to kill Mizuki, but also to rescue Konohamaru before he is killed. If the sound suspects that you are close to Konohamaru, they will send the message to kill him, and you will fail your mission, even if you do get to Mizuki.

Kakashi's clones disappeared.

"One final thing...in order to pass this mission, the three of you will have to work together...for this test is based on all of your skills. You will have to rely on Sharigan, Byakugan, and the Aburame clan techniques in order to succeed. Good luck..."

With those words, Kakashi disappeared.

-----

"_Jiraiya really did an impressive job of bringing out the best in Naruto...he is nothing like our last meeting...his strength far surpasses mine...but now it's time to test his mind..."_

"Hinata..." Ebisu called to Hinata. "Come here."

Immediately, Hinata stepped into the stadium battleground.

"_Huh? What does he want from Hinata-chan?"_

Ebisu then took off the bell on Naruto's neck and tied it around Hinata's neck.

"The rules are still the same Naruto. If you can remove the bell from around my neck, then you win. However, Hinata will also help you. If she can remove the bell from around my neck, then you still win, but if I remove the bell from around her neck, then you both lose. Now...let's continue!"

"You ready, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked his teammate.

"Hai." Hinata responded back. "I'll do my best..."

"_Hokage-sama said there was something special about these two...let's find out what..."_

_-----_

_Naruto: We've got the closet pervert on the run, Hinata-chan! Let's team up and take his bell!_

_Hinata: Do you really think we can do it, Naruto-kun?_

_Naruto: Of course! I already beat him before! I'll do it again!_

_Naruto: This time, Hinata-chan teams up with me to take Ebisu-sensei's bell. Can we do it? Or will we fail? And it looks like Sasuke and his new teammates are about to take a test as well. Can they trust each other and pass? Or will they die trying?_

_Sakura: Sasuke-kun..._

_Sasuke: No stupid "Konoha game" will keep me from my ultimate goal of getting to my brother!_

_Naruto: Next time on Naruto: "Leap of Faith! The ultimate test of trust!"_

_Ebisu: Focus on your goal Naruto, or the 2 of you will fail!_

_Naruto: Don't underestimate us! We have some new tricks for you! Ready Hinata-chan?_

_Hinata: I'm ready when you are, Naruto-kun..._

_Naruto: Good! Then lets do it! Let's beat the closet pervert and get some ramen! Here we come!_


	4. Leap of Faith!

_Well ladies and gentlemen! After nearly a year and a half, Chapter 4 of Acknowledgment is ready!_

_Some of you probably want to know what took me some long, and the rest of you just want to dive right into the chapter, so I'll leave my Q and A at the end. Now for a couple of comments about the chapter…_

_First of all, I have to commend actually doing something commendable...and that is making the Naruto fanfiction category more specific. No longer do you have to swim through a lot of horribly written NaruSasu yaoi in order to find the good stuff. Now you can decide what pairings you want to see. So to all of the other NaruHina fanfiction writers, if you haven't already, update your story to make your pairings more specific! Not only will you be making your stories easier to find for people that want the lovely NaruHina pairing, but you'll also be doing a great service by helping to build a collection of great NaruHina fanficion._

_For you Sasuke fans…enjoy this chapter…for it's the last one to feature him. If Sasuke returns in later chapters (and chances are that he will), he won't have any prominent roles._

_For you Naruto and Hinata fans out there, rejoice! One problem that I had with Chapter 3 was that it barely had any Naruto and Hinata...well I've fixed that problem. This chapter is my longest chapter yet, and most of it is about Naruto and Hinata!_

_Well, that's enough for the beginning commentary…enjoy!_

-----

"There are a couple of hidden wires on the ground…" Shino says as a couple of his bugs returns to his body.

"Byakugan!" Neji yells as he activates his Hyuga bloodline skill. "And in case we manage to avoid those, there are also a couple of ninja hidden underneath the ground…it looks like the only safe place for us to travel is among the trees…"

"Then lets get started…" Sasuke says as he looks towards the sky.

"What's the hurry?" Shino asks as he sends out some more bugs.

"I have my reasons…"Sasuke says as his eyes turn red. "Sharingan!"

_Chapter 4: Leap of Faith! The Ultimate Test of Trust!_

-----

"Good morning, Kakashi…" Tsunade says with a yawn.

"I take it you didn't sleep well?" Kakashi replies as he steps inside Tsunade's office.

"Something like that…" Tsunade says as she closes her office door. "So have all of the hidden cameras been installed in the training field?"

"Yes." Kakashi answers as he sits down on one of the chairs in the room. "All 500 cameras have been installed and activated."

"Now we'll finally see where Sasuke's loyalty lies…" Tsunade says as she also sits down on a chair across from Kakashi. "And if he still proves to be disloyal to the leaf, then I will have no choice but to activate the seal that I placed on his body…"

"Which would immediately prevent Sasuke from being able to access any of his chakra…" Kakashi states.

"And then he gets sent to the Konoha correctional facility like Mizuki …" Tsunade says as she pours herself some tea provided on the coffee table in front of her. "With a 75 percent chance that he will immediately be executed…"

The expression on Kakashi's face becomes serious while Tsunade's goes dismal.

"It's really sad what this young man has gone through…" Tsunade says sadly, as she takes her teacup into her hands, "…And it would be a shame to let such talent go to waste…he _is_ the last Uchiha in our village."

Tsunade sips some tea while Kakashi remains silent. Kakashi was hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but knew that if all else failed, there would be no other option.

"But…if he decides to make the right choice…" Tsunade says with a slight smile, "Then he might have a chance at achieving that other goal you mentioned him having…"

"Reviving his clan…" Kakashi finishes for her.

"But first, lets see how he does in this exercise that you've set for him." Tsunade says, placing her teacup back on the coffee table, "We won't know anything until we've seen where his heart lies…"

_knock_

"State your business…" Tsunade says as she looks towards her office door.

"Yuuhi Kurenai reporting as you asked…" Tsunade hears from the other side.

"Just a moment, Kakashi…" Tsunade says as she gets up from her chair and walks towards her office door.

"Morning, Hokage-sama…" Kurenai greets as the door is opened.

"Morning, Kurenai…" Tsunade returns as she closes the door. "I'm glad that you could make it…"

"Kakashi…" Kurenai acknowledges as she sits down on the chair to the left of him. "You're on time…for once…"

"Now you're both probably wondering why I called you here…" Tsunade says as she sits back down in her chair.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with our students?" Kurenai asks as she pours herself some tea.

"Precisely…" Tsunade says as she sips her tea. "But not all of your students, just a couple in particular…"

"Naruto…" Kakashi says, almost on cue.

"And Hinata…" Kurenai adds in.

"Yes…" Tsunade answers as she stands up and heads to her desk, "In about an hour, Naruto and Hinata should be arriving at the Konoha stadium to meet with Ebisu. After looking at all of the progress reports, I realized that Naruto and Hinata were the ones who struggled the most since becoming genin. This would be a good chance to see how much both of them have grown, without the distractions and expectations of their usual teammates."

Tsunade grabs a couple of papers from her desk and then heads back towards the coffee table.

"These are the progress reports that you wrote about your students…" Tsunade says as she hands Kakashi and Kurenai the papers, "Kakashi, I'm handing you the progress report on Hinata, and Kurenai, I'm giving you the report on Naruto."

"You figure…that by placing those two on the same team together…that they will bring out each others strengths and eliminate their weaknesses?" Kurenai asks after browsing Naruto's report.

"Pretty much…" Tsunade answers as she sits back down. "Those two are special, as you both already know. But it would be interesting to see what they can do as teammates. I bet that if you two were to observe them, you would be in for a surprise…"

-----

"I wonder why Hokage-sama told us to wait for our jounin instructor here?"

This was the question that Tenten, weapons expert, had asked her new teammate, Inuzuka Kiba. After reporting to the Hokage's office, they were told to wait for their instructor inside a snack shop.

"I have no idea, myself…" Kiba says as he drinks some juice from his glass. "But I sure hope that she hurries up…"

Tenten and Kiba look to the side and see that their third teammate, Akimichi Chouji, is stuffing dango into his mouth.

"He's worse then Naruto is with ramen…" Kiba comments to Tenten.

"I didn't think that would be possible to do…" Tenten replies back as she drinks some of her juice.

"Hey, fatass!" Kiba barks at Chouji, "Don't you think you've had enough!"

At that moment, Chouji stops eating. His eyes become angry and look like they are on fire.

"What did you say…?" Chouji asks in a low voice.

"Wait…" Tenten says pleadingly to Chouji, "I'm sure that Kiba didn't mean what he said…it was an accident, right Kiba?"

"You heard what I said…" Kiba says to Chouji. "Save some for the rest of us!"

"_Kiba, you dumbass…"_ Tenten thinks to herself as she smacks her forehead with her hand, _"It's taboo to call Chouji any insulting names that relate to his weight…don't you remember what Shikamaru told us outside Hokage's_ _office today? And didn't you work with Chouji before on that mission you came back from over a month ago?_ _Sigh…why did I have to get these two as teammates?"_

"I dare you to say that again…" Chouji says to Kiba's face.

Akamaru takes this moment to hide inside Kiba's jacket while Kiba looks directly into Chouji's face, not backing down. Tenten just prays that they won't get kicked out of the establishment for causing a scene.

But before Kiba or Chouji can make a move, a gust of wind spreads over the table. When Chouji looks back at the table, all he can see is an empty plate.

"The dango…" Chouji says as he holds up the empty plate, "It's all gone!"

"What the hell happened?" Kiba asks as Akamaru starts to shiver.

"I think I just found the answer, guys…" Tenten says as she points a finger to the side.

All three genin look to the side of their table and see that Mitarashi Anko, the examiner for the second part of the Chunnin exam, is holding the remaining dango in her hands and eating them to her hearts desire.

"Mmm…dango…" Anko purrs as she finishes off another dango on a stick, "How kind of you…"

"What a waste…" Chouji pouts as he places the empty plate back on the table.

"Hey…" Tenten says, "We were trying to save those for our instructor…"

"Then you've already gotten on my good side…" Anko says as she finishes off the last stick of dango, "For I'm going to be your instructor! Are you ready to feel the burn? Cause I'm not going to go easy on you!"

All of the other guests in the place look at Anko, while Kiba and Chouji sweatdrop. Tenten sighs as she covers her face with her hands in annoyance.

_"I'm really starting to question the possibility of her being related to Naruto in some way…maybe she's a second cousin or something…"_

"Anyway…" Anko says as she sits down with the group, "Tsunade-sama told me all about you three, and said that I would be the best to bring out your abilities. Tenten, you have the best accuracy that anybody has ever seen and a mastery of weapons…Kiba, you have a keen sense of smell and navigation…Chouji, your strength rivals that of some of our regular chuunin…the three of you possess skills that greatly complement each other. And to tell you the truth, I'm getting a bit excited thinking about training you…"

Kiba, Chouji, and Tenten nod to each other. While Anko might be a little bit too…enthusiastic… they had no doubt that Anko would be perfect for training them. Anko had a good knowledge of weapons, which would help Tenten. She was also very quick and spirited which would complement Kiba, and she also loved to eat, which made Chouji happy.

"Now, my students…" Anko yells passionately as she slams her fist on the table, "Let's go! Your training begins at once!"

The 3 genins sweatdrop again while Anko looks at them in confusion.

"What?"

Anko looks around and sees that a couple of customers next to them have juice spilled on them. She then looks back at the table and sees that she accidentally split it in two when she slammed her fist on it. To finish off her hall of shame, Anko sees that their pitcher of juice has actually knocked out another customer.

"Oops…" Anko laughs as she rubs her right hand behind her head, "Sorry about that…"

And once again, Tenten smacks her forehead in frustration…

"_Why me?"_

-----

"How much further?" Neji asks Shino as the three young men hop from the tree branches in the air.

"Not much longer…" Shino answers as a bug returns to his body, "Less then 10 feet away…there are 2 caves that have the sound symbol located on them…"

"Good…" Sasuke says, "The sooner we finish this, the better…"

"You really shouldn't be in so much of a hurry, Sasuke…" Neji says. "This isn't going to be like any of the easy missions that we've done in the pa-"

Neji is cut off when the next tree branch that the trio lands on suddenly explodes.

"Damn!" Sasuke yells as the three fall towards the ground, "An explosive note must have been hidden on that tree branch!"

"Why didn't your bugs detect it, Shino?" Neji asks.

"There must have been some chakra put on that note to repel my bugs…" Shino responds as his hands start making seals, "Hochuuami no Justu!"

Immediately, some bugs fly out of Shino's body and form a butterfly net on the ground. The three land on it just in time and then hide in some bushes.

Shino calls back his bugs right before two sound ninjas appear out of the two caves to investigate the explosion.

"I'll send in some bugs to check on the contents of both cages…"

"Good idea, Shino…" Neji says as he looks through the bushes. "While you do that, Sasuke and I will deal with the sound nin. Byakugan!"

Neji activated his bloodline limit ability as he did a quick scan around the area just outside the two caves. To his relief, there were no more sound ninja present other then the two that had come out of the caves.

"Just these two men, Sasuke." Neji says as he turns off his Byakugan, "Let's go…"

Sasuke and Neji leave the bush that they were hiding in and find other places. Sasuke silently finds a spot in a bush directly behind the sound ninja while Neji makes a new position on a tree branch.

"Are you in position?" Sasuke whispers into his headset.

"Yes…" Neji responds back.

"Good…" Sasuke says as he gets himself ready. "Give the signal, and I'll eliminate them all…"

"Right…" Neji says as he takes out a kunai from his supplies.

Neji throws the kunai towards the sound ninja and then quickly disappears from the tree and hides in a bush.

"What the?" One of the sound ninja asks as Neji's kunai falls directly at his feet. " I think we have guests up in that tree…"

The sound ninja pick up the kunai and head towards the tree that Neji was previously at.

"_Perfect…"_ Sasuke smirks as he jumps from behind the bush and starts to make hand seals, _"It's over for them…"_

The sound ninja hear the rustle from the bushes behind them and turn around to investigate. That was the last thing they would ever see…

"Katon! Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

Sasuke releases a fireball that hits both sound ninja. Being Kage Bunshin clones, the sound nin poof away into smoke.

"Nice teamwork…" Neji says as he comes out of the bush. "Maybe after this test is over, we can figure out the differences between the Hyuga and the Uchiha…"

"Perhaps…" Sasuke smirks as he looks towards Neji.

"Guys…" Shino says as he comes out of the bushes. "My bugs have finally done a full analysis of the two caves."

Neji and Sasuke huddle around Shino as he gives them the details.

"Mizuki was confirmed to be inside the cave to the left, and he was guarding something on the fifth floor. Unfortunately, my bugs were unable to decipher what exactly it was that Mizuki was guarding. It could be Konohamaru…or it could be a trap designed to lure us away from the cave to the right…"

"And what of the cave to the right?" Neji asks.

"I have no idea…" Shino continues, "There seems to be some sort of insect repellent that prevents my bugs from gathering any information…it's almost like the cave to the right was designed to lure one of you guys in…"

"Something tells me that Konohamaru might be in the cave to the right…" Neji says.

"Or that could also be a trap designed to make us assume what they think we will decide. We should split up…" Sasuke suggests, "That way, we can cover both caves."

"Good idea…" Neji says. "I'll take the cave on the right. Since my Byakugan can see through walls and view in a 360 radius, I'll be able to determine exactly what is inside that cave and report my findings to you guys."

"Then I'll take the cave on the left…" Sasuke says. "Since we already know that Mizuki is there, perhaps I can use my Sharingan to pick up a jutsu to aid you, just in case Konohamaru isn't with him…"

"Then I'll stay outside and keep you both posted…" Shino says. "Good luck…"

Sasuke and Neji run off in opposite directions while Shino hides in the bushes.

"Mizuki was on the fifth floor…" Sasuke says to himself as he enters the cave. "I'll need to make sure that I'm not detec-"

As if on cue, Sasuke is forced to quickly hide when two sound ninja start to approach the main entrance of the cave.

"I thought I heard something…" One of the sound ninja says.

"Must be your imagination," The other ninja says, "But lets check the other side…"

Once the sound ninjas are out of sight, Sasuke releases his Henge technique. At the last minute, Sasuke had transformed into a mouse to avoid detection.

"I won't fail here…" Sasuke says as he walks up the stairs. "I don't give a damn about the rank, but if being Anbu will give me more power to defeat Itachi, then so be it…"

"Shino…" Neji whispers in his headset. " I've retrieved Konohamaru…I'm getting out of here immediately…"

"Any word from Sasuke?" Shino asks.

"None…" Neji answers. "The cave on the left must have some technology that blocks out the frequency of our headsets. I'm not getting any response from Sasuke which means…I can't warn him that he is in a trap!"

"Meet me at the entrance of the cave on the left…" Shino says as he leaves the bushes, "We've got to go after Sasuke and aid him!"

"Shino…Neji…" Sasuke speaks into his headset, "Can any of you hear me?"

Sasuke gets no response.

"_Damn…"_ Sasuke curses, _"I can't communicate with anybody from in here…something is up…"_

"So you say you heard something downstairs?" Mizuki asks his men.

"Yeah, I'm certain of it. All I saw was a mouse, but as far as people, I didn't see anything else…"

"A mouse, huh?" Mizuki asks, "Stay alert. Something about that mouse doesn't sound quite right…"

"_Shit…they're already on to me…"_ Sasuke thinks to himself as he overhears the conversation from outside the stairway door. _"I've only got one shot to make this work…"_

Sasuke starts doing some hand seals and then places his right hand around his mouth.

"Katon! Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

Immediately the flames of Sasuke's technique incinerate the stairway door.

"Somebody is near…" Mizuki yells to his men, "Find him!"

One of the sound nin uses a wind attack to eliminate the fire before they all run out the doorway down the stairs.

"You can come out of hiding now, Uchiha Sasuke…" Mizuki says as he looks towards the doorway. "I know it's you that used that attack…do you want Konohamaru? Then you have to defeat me!"

Sasuke releases his Henge technique from this time, a roach.

"It's over, Kakashi clone…" Sasuke says as he enters the room, "This little game of yours is finished. I've won…"

"Oh…but I'm no clone…" Mizuki responds back, "We were supposed to meet a couple of months ago, but when plans changed, I decided to pay you a visit…personally…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke asks in confusion.

"Allow me to show you…" Mizuki says as he releases his transformation.

Sasuke gasps when he sees the Mizuki clone revert not into Kakashi, but someone else…

"Orochimaru!"

"I'm glad that you remember me…" Orochimaru says. "I was a bit disappointed when I heard that the leaf had captured you and brought you back here. But now…this is the perfect time for a getaway…come with me, Sasuke, and I shall grant you the power that you desire…"

"I refuse to be anybody's slave…" Sasuke responds back.

"Oh…I won't put the curse seal on you again…" Orochimaru answers. "This time you will be free to make your own decisions…"

"And what's in it for you?" Sasuke asks.

"All I ask…is that you tell me everything you know about Konoha…"

This was it…the chance that he had been waiting for…if things went right, then Sasuke would get the power that he needed to destroy Itachi…and all he had to do is tell the snake bastard a little bit of information...

But…at what cost would this information be? Once Orochimaru received this information, what would he do with it?

If Sasuke gave in, then he might as well say goodbye to Konoha forever, for Orochimaru was going to destroy it. And if he didn't, Sasuke would forever be banished from the place, for the next time he was found, he would be put to death.

And what of his teammates? Naruto was his closest friend, and Sasuke had fallen in love with Sakura…despite how he treated his teammates, they helped to keep him out of the darkness…would it be worth it to sacrifice his close ones for one more chance at his brother? And if he was successful with his personal mission, what then? What else would he do with his life?

He had to decide…

"No…Sasuke says. "I won't do it…"

"Think about what you are saying!" Orochimaru yells back, "I've got a list of forbidden jutsus that Konoha only wishes they could see! You may never get this opportunity again!"

"I've changed my mind…" Sasuke answers as his hands become fists, "I won't sell my soul for your power!"

"And what of your brother?" Orochimaru asks coolly, " Without my abilities, you won't become stronger…you won't be able to avenge your clan…you will always be a weakling trying to reach for that which Itachi has already grabbed onto…"

"Even if it takes me a lifetime…" Sasuke says, taking out a Fuuma Shuriken, "I'll eventually get strong enough to defeat my brother…but I'll do it my own way! I won't follow in his footsteps!"

"Fine…" Orochimaru says as he charges towards Sasuke, "You are a waste to me! Prepare to die!"

_"I refuse to fall here…"_

"Sharingan!" Sasuke yells, activating his Uchiha bloodline ability. "I can see through this trap…you're not real! Whatever kind of genjutsu you tried to play on me, has failed!"

"Congratulations…" Orochimaru says with a grin…"You pass…"

"Huh?"

Immediately, Orochimaru and the cave disappear, leaving Sasuke standing on nothing but grass.

"It was all in my mind…" Sasuke says as Neji and Shino approach him.

"Sasuke…" Neji asks, "What happened to the cave?"

"It wasn't real…" Sasuke answers, "It was all a genjutsu…"

"Right you are…" the Konohamaru clone speaks, "This cave was nothing but an illusion, but you saw through it and succeeded in your mission. You all pass!"

The Konohamaru clone that Neji was holding disappears in a poof of smoke and Kakashi appears before the trio in front of them.

"Neji, Shino…" Kakashi says, "You two go on home now...you've earned it…I need to speak to Sasuke alone for a couple of minutes. I'll inform you both of what your next mission will be once it comes in…"

"We make a pretty decent team…" Shino says as he starts to walk away.

"I couldn't agree more…" Neji adds in as he also starts to walk away.

Once Neji and Shino are gone, Kakashi turns towards Sasuke.

"Congratulations, Sasuke…you passed the _real_ test…"

"Real test?" Sasuke asks in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"As you figured out, the cave on the left was nothing but a genjutsu. It was designed to see whether you could be trusted again or not. Orochimaru was simply your mind fooling you into thinking that he had arrived, but what he asked determined your fate. When you refused to follow Orochimaru, you made the choice that Tsunade-sama wanted to hear from you. You literally brought tears to her eyes for your reasons…"

"Wait…" Sasuke says, "I have a couple of questions. First of all, if the cave to the left were a genjutsu, then what would have happened if Neji or Shino had tried to enter? How does the Hokage know what is going on? And what would have happened if I had chosen to follow Orochimaru?"

"Neji and Shino would have immediately fallen asleep…" Kakashi says. "This genjutsu was designed so that only you could solve it. In part to test your Sharingan abilities, but more importantly, to test your heart…Tsunade knows what's going on because this training exercise had 500 cameras hidden around the field."

"500!" Sasuke gasps, "But…how come we didn't detect any of them?"

"They are very well hidden…" Kakashi says. "As for your third question, if you had made the wrong decision, Tsunade-sama would have activated the seal that she placed on your body…"

"Seal?" Sasuke says as he touches his body, "I don't see any seals…"

"It's hidden…" Kakashi states, "And if you had made the wrong choice, it would have become visible on your stomach. It would have then sapped all of your chakra, making you unable to use any of it. Then, you would be sent to the Konoha correctional facility with a 75 chance of death…"

"That decision wouldn't have been worth it anyway…" Sasuke says as he and Kakashi start to walk back towards the village now. "With Orochimaru's curse seal gone, I can think clearly now. I'm going to kill my brother one day…but not at the cost of you and the rest of Team seven…"

"That's good to hear…" Kakashi says as a smile appears on his face, "You would have really hurt Naruto and Sakura if you had chosen wrong…"

"I know…" Sasuke says seriously, "So what happens now?"

"Well…" Kakashi says as he places an arm around Sasuke's back, "After the Hokage removes the seal that she placed on your body, there is still the matter of community service…"

-----

"I underestimated you Naruto…" Ebisu says as he throws all of his "practice" kunai away. "To show you that I truly acknowledge you, I'm going to face you with real kunai this time…and I want you to do the same…"

"Heh…" Naruto grins as he retrieves his regular ninja weapons from Hinata, "You're not half bad…but it still won't be enough to stop me and Hinata!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata says with a light blush on her cheeks.

"_We shall see, Naruto…"_ Ebisu thinks to himself as he pulls out a real kunai, _"We shall see…"_

"Ready, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asks his partner.

"Yes!" Hinata responds back with determination, "I'm ready!"

"Ok!" Naruto says as he gets back into a fighting stance, "Let's show him the power of our teamwork!"

"Just what did you do to him, Kakashi?" Kurenai asks as they watch the match in Tsunade's office on a television thanks to a hidden camera inside the stadium. "Naruto just continues to become more determined and focused every time I see him…"

"What did I do?" Kakashi questions as he looks at Kurenai, "I acknowledged him…"

A smile approaches Tsunade's lips after hearing that statement come from Kakashi. To know that you existed in the eyes of others seemed to be a strength all on it's own…

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

From the moment that those words are shouted, Kurenai and Ebisu almost faint from what they see while a smirk appears on Kakashi's face.

Yes…the Kage Bunshin was performed…but not by Naruto…

But by Hinata…

"I knew that Naruto was an inspiration to my Hinata, but I didn't realize it was this much…" Kurenai says, still in shock.

"Even before he became a genin," Kakashi states, "Naruto has always been full of surprises…"

"It seems that while Naruto was trying to make the entire village acknowledge his existence," Kurenai says, "Hinata was trying to make Naruto acknowledge her. And I think she just did…"

Hinata's four Kage Bunshin clones surround her body on all sides and take out kunai's.

"Great move, Hinata-chan!" Naruto yells passionately, "With Kage Bunshin, your clones can provide you with some defense! Now the closest pervert can't get your bell!"

"Thank you…Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as she starts blushing again.

"_So…Naruto must have somehow taught that move to the Hyuga heir…"_ Ebisu analyzes. _"This is getting interesting…"_

"If you're going to go on the defense, Hinata-chan…" Naruto says as he crosses his fingers together, "Then I'll go on the offense! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto also summons some Kage Bunshin clones, but instead of four, summons about forty.

"Revival of Naruto Ninpocho!" Naruto shouts out as he raises his right arm high up into the air, "I'll show you the strength of the great Uzumaki Naruto!"

"_This could prove to be troublesome for me…"_ Ebisu thinks to himself as he looks at the situation, _"I had better stop fooling around and be a bit more serious…"_

"Harem no Jutsu won't work on me anymore, Naruto…"Ebisu smirks as he adjusts his glasses, "I'm not the pervert that you thought I was in the past…"

"Who said anything about using that technique?" Naruto and his clones say as each of them pull out two shurikens in each hand. "I'm going to show you a technique that I used to help save Konoha!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata thinks to herself, "I believe in you…"

"Shihou! Hapou! Shuriken no Maki!"

"_Oh crap!"_ Ebisu panics as he drops his kunai, from seeing the many thrown shuriken headed his way, _"I never expected Naruto to unleash a technique such as this! Jiraiya…what exactly did you do to him?"_

"There's no way out now!" Naruto yells, "You might as well give up!"

"_There's only one way out of this…"_ Ebisu thinks to himself as he quickly forms some hand seals, "Hono Bariaa no Jutsu!"

A barrier of fire surrounds Ebisu's body just in time. All of Naruto's shurikens that approach Ebisu are immediately torched.

"I must admit, your technique was very impressive…" Ebisu says as his fire barrier dies down, "But…it will take more then that to defeat a special jounin like me…"

"That's alright…" Naruto says as he and his clones charge towards Ebisu, "We'll still get you!"

"Konoha Bariaa no Jutsu!"

Now blades of leaves surround Ebisu's body.

"Ha!" Naruto and his clones mock, "You think you're going to stop us with that? You'll regret that! U-"

Before Naruto's clones can get to "zu", they are destroyed when they come into contact with Ebisu's technique.

"_Wow…"_ Naruto thinks to himself as he sees every last one of his clones disappear, _"The closest pervert is really strong…almost as strong as Ero-sennin or Kakashi-sensei…"_

"Now you're starting to see that I'm not a weakling, huh Naruto?" Ebisu questions as he performs some more hand seals. "Well this next technique is for you…Hono Konoha no Jutsu!"

The leaves surrounding Ebisu immediately light up and start to burn.

"I'll stop you!" Naruto yells as he jumps towards Ebisu.

"You've still got some learning to do, Naruto…" Ebisu says as he finishes another handful of seals, "Hono Enjin no Jutsu!"

The fire leaves surrounding Ebisu now leave his body and strike Naruto. When Naruto gets up, he notices that Ebisu's fire leaves now surround Naruto's body in a circle.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, Naruto…" Ebisu says with a look of confidence, "Touch that flame circle, and you'll get burned…"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata sighs.

"And now…" Ebisu says as he looks towards Hinata, "It's time to claim my prize…"

"No…" Hinata says as her clones take up a defensive position.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Ebisu makes twenty clones of his own.

"I've seen the spirit of your teammate Naruto…" Ebisu and his clones say simultaneously, "But now it's time to see what you can do..."

Four of Ebisu's clones charge towards Hinata, but Hinata's clones rush up and stand up to Ebisu's clones. Unfortunately, Ebisu's clones have the upper hand and defeat Hinata's clones, which disappear into smoke.

"My clones…" Hinata says to herself as she looks worried, "Now what will I do?"

"You lose, Hinata…" Ebisu and his clones say as they surround Hinata, "But don't worry…under my teachings, both you and Naruto will become great shinobi's…"

"_Naruto-kun…"_ Hinata thinks to herself, _"I'm sorry…I couldn't do it…I failed you…"_

"_Hinata…"_ Kurenai thinks as she watches the television, _"Naruto has acknowledged you. Now show him that his faith in you wasn't in vain…"_

"Hinata!" Naruto yells.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks as she looks towards her teammate.

"Hinata!" Naruto yells again, "Don't give up! After all of our training together, I know you can do it! I believe in you!"

"Naruto-kun…"

Hinata looks at Naruto and sees that he gives her a smile full of hope and confidence.

"You can do it! I'm watching you, Hinata-chan!"

"_That's right…"_ Hinata thinks to herself, _"Naruto-kun is watching me…and when he is watching me, I feel like I can do anything…"_

Hinata holds her head up and a wave of confidence suddenly flows over her body.

"Byakugan!"

After activating her bloodline limit, Hinata looks back towards Naruto. Naruto grins at Hinata once before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"What!" Ebisu says as he turns around briefly, "That wasn't the real Naruto? No matter…Hinata is still the target…"

Ebisu stands guard while his clones charge Hinata.

"If you don't stop my clones, Hinata," Ebisu warns, "Then they will more then likely cut off your bell…"

"I'm not worried…" Hinata says, now completely full of confidence, "My teammate believes in me…and that's all that I need for me to defeat you!"

"Show us your best!" Ebisu's clones yell as they jump towards Hinata.

_"Naruto-kun…wherever you are…watch me closely…"_

Out of the left corner of Hinata's Byakugan vision, she notices a pair of blue eyes staring at her.

And that's all that it takes to make her smile…

"Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!"

Hinata strikes her arms in a full 360-degree pattern. All of Ebisu's clones from every side of her body, fall victim to one of Hinata's strikes.

"_What is this technique?"_ Ebisu asks in astonishment, _"I had no idea she could do something like that…much less any of the Hyuga's…"_

"That was a great move, Hinata-chan! I'm proud of you! Now let's finish off the closest pervert so we can get some ramen! I'm starved!"

"_Naruto-kun…"_ Hinata blushes very brightly, _"Thank you…for watching me…"_

Ebisu knew that he heard Naruto's voice, but couldn't locate him anywhere.

"Come on out, Naruto!" Ebisu yells as he looks around madly, " I know you're here!"

Ebisu looks around the stadium again, but still can't find Naruto.

"U..."

Ebisu suddenly feels a punch go to his left cheek.

"zumaki…"

Ebisu is suddenly kicked into the air with what feels like several legs.

"Naruto Rendan!" Naruto yells as he aims a kick towards Ebisu's body. Ebisu however recovers from the previous attacks and parries Naruto's last kick.

"I was hoping you would block that…" Naruto says as he and Ebisu start to head back towards the ground, "Now I get to try out my all new technique on you!"

"_New technique, huh?"_ Kakashi thinks to himself as he watches the television, _"You really are full of surprises, Naruto…"_

As soon as Naruto lands on his feet, he and his clones immediately dash around Ebisu's body in a circle.

"What are you doing?" Ebisu asks as watching Naruto starts to make him dizzy.

"My newest move…" Naruto excitedly says as a gust of wind starts to pick up, "I call it…Naruto Tatsumaki!"

Naruto jumps out of the way just in time for the wind that Naruto has gathered turns into an orange tornado. It envelops Ebisu and knocks him around some. Naruto's clones however, are destroyed as soon as the tornado is created.

"Now, Hinata-chan!" Naruto says as he pulls out a kunai, "Let's get his bell!"

"Yeah!" Hinata yells back as she also pulls out a kunai, "With teamwork, we can do anything!"

Naruto's tornado quickly comes to an end and Ebisu's body starts falling towards the ground.

"So they think they have me beat…" Ebisu says weakly as he pulls out a kunai, "I'll show them…"

"Let's go!" Naruto yells as he jumps up in the air towards Ebisu.

"For teamwork!" Hinata yells as she also jumps into the air.

The movement of all three shinobi is so fast that all you can see are blurs and all you can hear are slashing sounds.

Eventually all three land on the ground and try to figure out which side has won.

"This has been an interesting match, you two…" Ebisu says, "This could go on forev-"

Ebisu is cut of when the string on his bell finally breaks loose, and his bell falls to the floor.

"Yatta!" Naruto yells as he jumps into the air, "We won!"

"Not necessarily, Naruto…" Ebisu comments as he points at Hinata.

"Huh?" Naruto asks as he looks at Hinata. He then understands what Ebisu was talking about.

While it was true that Ebisu's bell was removed, the same could be said about Hinata, for at the same time as Ebisu, the string on her bell comes loose, and her bell falls to the floor.

"This has never happened before…" Ebisu says with a chuckle as he adjusts his glasses. "Tell you what…since this match resulted in a tie, I'll let you two decide who you want to be with. If you want to go to the Hokage and request a different teacher, then you will be free to do that. If, however, you want to stay under me, then that is also fine as well…"

Naruto and Hinata didn't even need to discuss it…

"We choose you, closest perv…I mean, Ebisu-sensei!" Naruto says, correcting himself, "You are really strong! And…I'm sorry that I didn't acknowledge you for that…I was wrong…"

"I'm sorry for not acknowledging you either, Naruto…" Ebisu says as he holds out a hand towards Naruto. "From now on, I promise never to underestimate you or Hinata again! Let's shake on it!"

The jounin and Hokage clap their hands when they see Naruto and Ebisu shake hands.

"It seems like only yesterday that our students could barely perform a jutsu, huh Kakashi?" Kurenai asks as a big smile comes across her face. "But now look at them…they've grown up so much…it's almost sad to have to let them go…"

Kakashi nods his head in agreement. Tsunade meanwhile, is wiping tears from her eyes.

"_Keep this up Naruto…and one day, you just might become Hokage…"_

"You two are dismissed…" Ebisu says as he waves his students off. "That was a fine match. Meet me by the Hokage monument in two days at 8 am, and we will start the next step of your training."

"Ok!" Naruto yells back, full of excitement. "We'll see you then! Come on Hinata-chan! Let's get something to eat!"

"Goodbye, Ebisu-sensei…" Hinata politely says as she and Naruto leave the stadium.

"Now that this match is over…" Ebisu says to himself, "I can have a little bit of down time…"

Ebisu leaves the stadium and hops from rooftop to rooftop, until he is standing on top of the Konoha bookstore.

"I haven't had a good book to read in a while…" Ebisu says as he places his fingers together, "Henge!"

Ebisu transforms into a fat man and then jumps down from the roof.

"Welcome…" the bookstore owner greets as his door opens.

"Thank you…" Ebisu says as he enters the store.

"So…" the bookstore owner says as he puts down his broom from his sweeping, "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to get the latest volume of Jiraiya's book…Best of Icha Icha Paradise…"

"Sure…the bookstore owner says as he grabs the requested book, "But before I can sell you this book, you'll have to do me a favor…"

"What kind of favor?"

"Drop the disguise…I already know that it's you…Ebisu…"

"What?" Ebisu yells as he releases his Henge technique, "How did you know it was me?"

"Simple…" The bookstore owner explains, "Out of everyone that has bought a copy of this book and the previous volumes, only two people knew that they were written by the Sennin, Jiraiya…and since Kakashi picked up his copy two weeks ago, that only left you…"

"I'm loosing my touch…" Ebisu says as a blush crosses his cheeks.

"Just take the book…" The bookstore owner says as he hands it to Ebisu, "It's on the house anyway…a…friend…left a copy in your name…"

"Then I'll…see you next time…" Ebisu says, as he carefully looks outside the door to make sure that nobody suspects he is holding the book. Once he is sure that the coast is clear, Ebisu quickly tries to get back to his house. He had a reputation to keep…

However…on top of the roof across from the bookstore, a pair of binoculars look at Ebisu.

"Heh, heh, heh…" the author of this latest book laughs, "So Naruto was right after all…Ebisu really is a closest pervert…still, he'll never be able to match up to me, a super pervert!"

The perverted book author, also known as Jiraiya, one of the legendary three ninjas, jumps off the rooftop and runs towards the Konoha bathing house.

"_It's time to get some more research for my latest book…"_ Jiraiya thinks to himself with a huge grin and cheeks already blushing, _"My work is never done!"_

-----

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto says as he swallows some ramen, "You were amazing! That move that you did on Ebisu sensei's clones…it almost reminds me of Neji's move…"

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata warmly says, "but my move isn't the same as Neji-nisan's. I'm the only one in my family that can do the Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou…I created it…"

"That's what makes it even cooler!" Naruto says as he hugs Hinata tight, not noticing her blush. "Having something that only you can do makes you stand out even more!"

"Your new move was also amazing, Naruto-kun…" Hinata says, both glad and disappointed that Naruto released her, "I've never seen anything like it…"

"It was something that I started to develop after my last mission…" Naruto says as he slurps the soup from his ramen bowl and then pats his stomach in satisfaction, "It's not complete though…I think that I can make it stronger…"

"I know you can do it, Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as she puts down her empty ramen bowl on the counter. "I believe you can do anything…"

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto says as a light brush crosses his cheeks.

Hinata then leans her body forward and hugs Naruto really tight, not at all concerned about the couple of eyes staring at them. Naruto on the other hand, notices a couple of these cold stares and starts to feel uncomfortable.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto says as he removes Hinata from his chest, "Maybe we should go…"

"Ok…" Hinata says as she stands up from her stool.

"Thanks for the meal, Ojisan…" Naruto says to the ramen chef as he puts a couple of bills on the counter, "That really hit the spot!"

"Come back anytime!" The ramen chef says to Naruto as he sees the two genin leave Ichiraku.

Unknown to Naruto and Hinata however, was that there was still a pair of eyes that had been watching the two of them…very closely…

Naruto had decided to go back to his apartment, one of the few places in Konoha where the adults didn't give him cold stares and quite possibly the only place that he and Hinata could truly be alone.

"That was a fun day…" Naruto says as he heads into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a bit…"

Hinata finds herself flushing hard as she sits on Naruto's couch. She had always been in love with him…ever since she first laid eyes on him. Naruto was special in that he could make Hinata feel emotions that nobody else could…

It had been about a month and a half now since Naruto had returned from his mission to rescue his teammate Sasuke. And in the length of that time, Hinata had finally been able to tell Naruto her true feelings…and receive his praise…

"_Naruto-kun…if only I could say in words how much I love you…"_

"Ahh! That's much better!" Naruto says as he leaves the bathroom, "The bathroom is all yours…Hinata-chan?"

Naruto walks over to the couch and sees that Hinata seems to be in a trance.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asks, snapping some fingers in front of her face, "Are you ok? What's the mat-"

Naruto suddenly finds himself on the couch with Hinata's hips grinding his lower body.

"_If I can't tell him how much he means to me…then I'll show him…"_

"Hinata-chan?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispers huskily as she nibbles on Naruto's neck, "Make love to me…"

"Nani?"

"I want you…" Hinata says as she starts rubbing her hands on Naruto's body, "I can't hold it in anymore…give me pleasure…"

"Hi…Hinata-chan…" Naruto says weakly as his face flushes, "Are…are you sure that's what you want? I mean…we aren't even 14 yet…shouldn't we wait a bit?"

"I don't care…" Hinata says seductively, "For love doesn't discriminate…"

Naruto takes deep breaths as Hinata started to unzip his orange jacket.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto pleads as he tries to remove Hinata's hands from his jacket. "We really shouldn't do th-"

Hinata passionately kisses Naruto to silence him and then succeeds in removing his jacket from his body.

"Oh Naruto-kun…" Hinata purrs as she pulls Naruto's shirt up and starts kissing his bare chest. "You are so strong and…hey…what's this seal?"

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto says seriously, "Do you remember what my biggest secret is?"

"Yes…" Hinata says as her hands graze Naruto's seal, "you are the container for Kyubi. But I told you before, Naruto-kun, I don't care…I will never stop loving you, no matter what happens to you…"

"Well…" Naruto says as he places his hands on top of Hinata's, "This seal on my stomach…is what keeps Kyubi in check…and is also what makes everyone in Konoha despise me…"

"Naruto-kun…"

Hinata holds Naruto tight and rests her head in his neck. Naruto wraps his arms around Hinata and pulls her closer to his body.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto begins again, "One day…I want to make love to you…and start a family of our own…but not now…it's much too soon…and there are a couple of things that I have to do first…"

"Then I'll wait…" Hinata says as she holds Naruto tighter, "…no matter how long it takes…I'll be here for you when you are ready…"

Hinata removes her head from Naruto's neck and kisses him again, only this time with a bit more gentleness…

"Hinata-chan…thank you…"

It was now six in the evening when Hinata had started to make her way back home. Hinata had just experienced a day of emotions and memories that brought her so much happiness…nothing could ruin her day now…

Or so she thought…

"You were supposed to come home after your mission…"

"Otosan…" Hinata says meekly as she looks at her father Hiashi at the doorway.

"Where were you?" Hiashi asks, with his back turned to her.

"My…my teammate…invited me for lunch…so I decided to accompany him…"

"Your new teammate is Uzumaki Naruto, is that correct?" Hiashi asks in a stern voice.

"Yes…" Hinata barely says as she twiddles her fingers.

"You are not to associate with him ever again…" Hiashi commands. "I shall inform the Hokage in the morning that you are to be assigned to someone else…"

"No!" Hinata yells out of desperation.

"What was that?" Hiashi asks as he turns around slowly to face his daughter.

"I mean…it isn't necessary…and it would be difficult in these times of crisis for Hokage-sama to find a different instruc-"

"It _is_ necessary when you are the heir of the prestigious Hyuga clan…" Hiashi states, "Or did you forget that?"

"No…I didn't…"

"We are Hyuga…" Hiashi continues, "…the most prestigious clan in all of Konoha…and we need to always be mindful of who we choose to associate ourselves with…that boy…is trash that is benea-"

"Don't say those things about him!" Hinata bursts out, slightly irritated, "It's not true!"

"Oh?" Hiashi mockingly asks, "And how would you know what that Uzumaki brat is like? He is scum that doesn't deserve to be in the presence of the great Hyuga…he is nothing but a bug that should be crushed…the Hokage is too lenient with him…there is no good in him…I look forward to the day when his existence is wiped off the face of the Ear-"

"Shut up!" Hinata yells, full of anger now, "Don't you dare say another thing about Naruto! I love him!"

Hiashi slapped Hinata hard with his right hand and sent her small body to the floor for her insolence…

Or rather, that's what Hiashi assumed was going to happen…what had actually happened is that Hinata had parried the attack with her left wrist.

"Are you challenging me?"

Hiashi looks closer at his daughter and sees that there is no fear in her body. In addition, Hinata's body was in a fighting stance with her Byakugan activated.

"Yes…"

-----

"Yatta! I won again!"

Naruto cheers as he defeats his clone in a fighting video game.

"You cheated!" Naruto's Bunshin clone accuses.

"Did not!" Naruto yells back to his clone, "I beat you fair and square!"

"Well I want a rematch!" Naruto's clone demands.

"Bring it on!" Naruto yells, "I'll beat you again!"

_knock_

"Coming…" Naruto says as his Kage Bunshin clone poofs away into smoke.

Naruto drops his video game controller and leaves his bedroom to approach the main quarters of his tiny apartment.

_knock_

"I said I'm coming!" Naruto yells as his hand touches the doorknob. "Who would want to visit me at this hour?"

Naruto certainly wasn't prepared for what he would see on the other side…for as soon as Naruto opened the door, he was greeted to a very bruised Hinata and a giant suitcase.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cries as she leaps into his chest.

_"What happened to Hinata-chan?"_

Naruto grabs the suitcase and pulls it and Hinata inside his apartment. After leaving the suitcase by the door, Naruto sits Hinata down on his couch.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto asks as he tries to clean up some of Hinata's injuries, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"My…my father…" Hinata answers weakly.

_Nani?_

Naruto grits his teeth in anger.

"Why did he do this to you?" Naruto asks with a slight growl in his voice.

"He…he spoke badly about you…so I defended you…"

Naruto feels his eyes get watery. Nobody other then Iruka-sensei had ever stood up for Naruto in such a way.

"He…he beat me…then kicked me out…then told me that I was exiled from the Hyuga family…my right to be the heir of the Hyuga…was taken away from me…and given to my sister Hanabi…"

Naruto closes his eyes as tears fall down his cheeks.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto questions with teary eyes, "Why did you do such a thing? You didn't have to defend me…"

"Yes I did…he had no right to talk about you that way…besides…there is a saying…that whatever you find important in life…is worth fighting for…"

More tears fall out of Naruto's eyes now as he thinks back to the time that he faced Haku. Haku was so innocent…and so pure…he had nothing…except the acknowledgement of Zabuza…and in the end…Haku had sacrificed his life for the person that he found precious.

_"Hinata-chan…you gave it all up…just to be with me…I don't feel worthy…but I will try anyway…I will make your father see that he made a mistake…even if I have to beat some sense into him!"_

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata asks weakly, "Where are you going?"

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto speaks softly, "You rest. Leave everything up to me…"

"No!" Hinata cries as she wraps her arms around Naruto's back, "Don't go! Stay with me!"

"I'll be back…" Naruto says as he removes Hinata from his body and walks towards the door.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata screams as she falls down to the floor in tears.

"_Hiashi you bastard…"_ Naruto thinks to himself as he hops from roof to roof, _"I thought you had changed after the chunnin exam…I was willing to forgive you for what you did to Neji…but for what you did to Hinata-chan…I will never forgive!"_

Naruto jumps down from the roof and runs towards the Hyuga entrance.

"Hiashi!" Naruto yells from outside, "Bring your ass out here!"

"Naruto…" Neji asks as he and Hiashi come out from the entrance, "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"

"There you are!" Naruto yells as he charges towards Hiashi with a fist raised, "Prepare yourself!"

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

Hiashi's body spins like a top as he unleashes his attack. Naruto is thrown back, but lands on his feet.

"Neji…" Hiashi says, looking straight at Naruto, "Leave us…"

"But…"

"Now…" Hiashi says, sterner this time, "I won't tell you again…"

Neji gets the hint and goes back into the Hyuga mansion.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you've brought yourself over here…uninvited…"

"You know exactly why I'm here!" Naruto yells, "How could you do such a thing as disowning Hinata?"

"She was a waste…" Hiashi states coldly, "A waste of time…a waste of talent…and a waste of sperm…"

Naruto's hands start to form into claws when he hears those words come out of Hiashi's mouth. Other notable changes are his whiskers getting longer and his eyes suddenly turning red and demonic…

"She is your daughter!" Naruto growls, "Does that mean nothing to you!"

"Family means nothing to me if she cannot prove that she is a Hyuga…" Hiashi says, not looking the least bit afraid of Kyuubi Naruto. "And how can you speak of something that you don't have…Kyubi trash?"

"Hinata is the closest thing to family that I've ever had…and when you insult her, you insult me!"

"Well if you care about her so much…" Hiashi remarks as he turns around and heads back towards the mansion, "Then you can have her…she means nothing to me…but neither of you are allowed to step foot on these grounds ever again…"

"Well that's fine by me! Hinata deserves better then you anyway!"

Hiashi makes no comment as he goes back into the Hyuga mansion.

"_This isn't good…"_ Naruto worries as he starts to revert back to his regular self, "What am I going to tell _Hinata-chan?"_

Naruto sighs as he leaves the Hyuga grounds and heads back to his apartment on the other side of town. Naruto truly understood why he and Hinata were so close…she shared the same pain that he did…sure, she might have been born as the heir to a very famous ninja clan, but her father never acknowledged her…in fact, he was too strict on her…a father that didn't care…that was almost as bad as having no father at all…

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells in joy as she welcomes him back to the apartment.

"Hey…" Naruto says depressingly as he enters.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata sighs as they sit down on the couch.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto starts seriously, "…your father…has forbidden both of us from ever stepping foot on Hyuga ground again…"

"Then…" Hinata says as her eyes get watery, "I'm homeless…I have no place to stay…"

"Don't say that…" Naruto says. "You can stay with me…this is _our_ home now…"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata cries into Naruto's chest. Naruto wraps his arms around Hinata as he closes his eyes and tries to be strong for her.

"_Hinata-chan…I said that I was going to take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise…you are my precious person and I give you my word that as long as I'm around…nothing bad like this is ever going to happen to you again…I said it before, and I'll say it again…I don't take back my words…that is my way of the ninja…"_

-----

Hinata: I get to live with Naruto-kun! This is so romantic!

Naruto: Yeah…but all of this pink is driving me crazy!

Hinata: Naruto-kun and I decide to do some shopping so that our home is more relaxing. I just hope that we don't overdo it…

Naruto: Ero-sennin? What are you doing here?

Jiraiya: Research…but I've also come to tell you something important, so listen up!

Naruto: If it's something perverted, then I don't want to hear it! At least…not with Hinata-chan around…

Naruto: Next time on Naruto: Spring Cleaning?

Hinata: I hope we bought enough stuff for the apartment, Naruto-kun…

Naruto: So do I…I'm getting hungry!

-----

Q and A with Trutenor

Q: What took you so damn long to release this chapter!

A: This will probably be the number one question. Well, there are several reasons. The first reason is that ever since I released chapter 3 in August of 2004, I was seriously questioning what I wanted to do with my life. I am a musician, yes (if you couldn't tell from the pun in my name), but I still felt like something was missing…In February of 2005, I realized that I wanted to do what I've always enjoyed, which was to write. Once I made that decision, I put myself on hiatus from writing fanfiction till about September of this year.

The other main reason why it took me so long to come out with this chapter is that I wanted to be sure that this lived up to the expectations that I left in chapter 3. At the end of chapter 3, I had Neji, Shino, and Sasuke, ready to start their test while Naruto and Hinata were getting ready to team up and take on Ebisu. Those are both storylines that have potential to be really amazing, and I didn't want to rush them and mess up. In addition, while I really wasn't too concerned about Sasuke, I was really concerned about what I wanted to do for the Naruto/Hinata match. After finishing chapter 3, the only thing that I knew was that I wanted Hinata to use Kage Bunshin and Naruto to use Tajuu Kage Bunshin. I didn't know what I wanted to happen after that. But after watching lots and lots of Naruto anime and reading lots of the manga, I got ideas.

Q: Why did you make Ebisu tie with Naruto and Hinata? They should have won!

A: I had to acknowledge the fact that Ebisu was a special jounin, which meant that he would be very strong. While Masashi Kishimoto may have used Ebisu only as comic relief, based on the rank that he was given, I realized that Ebisu really wasn't a slouch…just a closet pervert…Ebisu also falls into the category of Naruto characters (Iruka and Anko being the others) that have lots of potential to have great character development and storylines but are given the shaft. I wanted to take a minor character and give him a decent role.

Q: Anko? What would possess you to write about her?

A: See Ebisu. Also, out of all of the female characters in Naruto, Anko is my second favorite (Hinata is queen, while Kurenai and Temari are fighting for third place). I'm also a big fan of girls that are very energetic and passionate. And it's a nice surprise to keep some originality in my story.

Q: What do some of your translations mean?

A: I'm only going to be providing translations for the moves that I came up with. Everything else that came from the Naruto anime and manga you can find on your own…

Hochuuami no Jutsu: Butterfly Net Skill

Hono Bariaa no Jutsu: Flame Barrier Skill

Konoha Bariaa no Jutsu: Leaf Barrier Skill

Hono Konoha no Jutsu: Flame Leaf Skill

Hono Enjin no Jutsu: Flame Circle Skill

Naruto Tatsumaki: Ramen Tornado

Q: How could you make Hinata use the Shugo Hakke Rokujuuyonshou? She didn't use that move until episode…

A: For you smart alecks that think you know everything about Naruto, let me just say this…

That episode was part of the Bikouchuu saga. And it was _filler_. Which means that _technically_, that episode officially _never happened_ in the Naruto storyline, unless Masashi Kishimoto confirms it. It was a cool saga though, and one of the few fillers that don't make me want to puke. Although there were some things that messed up the continuity of Naruto, but I'll save my ranting for another day…

Q: When is the next chapter going to be out?

A: I could be a smart-ass and say, "When I write it…" but I won't do that, cause I'm nice. To tell you the truth, I don't know. As I mentioned earlier, I'm working on an original story that I want to sell to publishers and make some real money. But I guarantee you that unless I officially say that I'm calling it quits, that you can expect more and more chapters of Acknowledgement to come. And considering that I'm working on being a professional writer, I need to keep my skills sharp, and what better way then writing fanfiction?

Q: How do I contact you?

A: Check my profile.

Q: Can I use any of your original characters and moves for my story?

A: I won't be having any original characters, except for minor people like the bookstore owner. If you want to use him…then go ahead, but I don't plan on making any "Mary Sue" type of characters. As for original moves, at least give me credit for that…

Q: Will Naruto be getting a bloodline limit?

A: Does he really need one? I mean, Naruto is already a Jinchurikki, isn't that enough? Naruto with a bloodline limit and a demon would make him uber imo…now I've read a couple of Naruto stories that do that to Naruto, and it works for those stories, (two of those stories are also on my favorites list) but for me, I really don't want to do that. But if I did give Naruto a bloodline limit, then it would be in a way that didn't make Naruto too powerful. Or I might just make Naruto a genius ninja, like Kakashi or Rock Lee.

Q: How many chapters of Acknowledgement do you plan on writing before the story is finished?

A: I have no idea. Originally, the first chapter of Acknowledgement was a one-shot, but I had some support from a lot of fans and I could see more stuff coming that I decided to continue. And isn't it better not to know when the end is?

Q: Your story uses ShikaIno…

A: I already know that everybody and their mother prefers Shikamaru with Temari (which is the most popular pairing after Naruto/Hinata). But at the time I started Acknowledgement, Temari wasn't even a candidate for love interest until near the end of the "Rescue Sasuke" saga. Personally, I also feel that Shika/Temari is the better pairing, but ShikaIno works as well. I won't break them up in this story…

And that's it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you at Chapter 5…whenever it's done…


	5. Spring Cleaning!

Guess who's back! After a hiatus of (three years?!), I'm finally back with more Naruto goodness. I've decided to not end this series at Chapter 5 like I originally wanted to do as throughout the years, I've developed more of what to write. Unfortunately, due to some things in the manga being canon now which were fanon before, the plot of my story has changed just a bit. I'll have some more Q and A at the end of this chapter to basically explain what has changed in the past three years, but I will say one thing. After not updating this story for three years, I've made sure that this chapter was well worth the wait. You will not be disappointed (well at least I hope you won't be)!

--

It was a pretty peaceful morning inside Hokage Tower as Tsunade, the Godaime of Konoha, was actually up bright and early at six am for once. After the performances of Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto the previous day, Tsunade actually felt a glimmer of hope in the new generation stepping up to the plate.

Tsunade was browsing through some official documents that required her seal of approval when there was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Tsunade asks, not looking up from her paperwork.

"It's me, Hokage-sama," Nara Shikamaru answers from the other side.

"_Good. That means that he is back with my items from the market," _Tsunade thinks to herself as she opens the door to let him in.

"I still don't see why I had to go gather these items…" Shikamaru complains with a light blush on his cheeks as he hands Tsunade a bag.

"Well…" Tsunade says as she takes the bag and goes through the contents, which consisted of female deodorant, vaginal cream, and tampons, "As you know, Shizune is taking a couple of days off. With her gone, someone had to retrieve my items…"

"Couldn't you ask one of the other kunoichi though?" Shikamaru asks, slightly irritated. "I'm sure that Ino or Sakura would have been more then happy to do this task for you. And they're girls!"

Before Tsunade can answer the question, there is another knock at the door.

"Women are so troublesome…" Shikamaru mutters as he goes to open the door, revealing a Hyuga on the other side. "What do you want?"

"Hiashi-sama has requested that I deliver the official Hyuga records to the Godaime." The Hyuga messenger responds.

"Hyuga records?" Tsunade thinks to herself as she goes to the door to retrieve the documents, "This is odd…"

Something felt off as Tsunade flips through the records. Tsunade had requested the Census records of Konoha _a month ago. _Everyone including the Hyuga had complied with this request.

This felt odd due to the fact that by nature, the Hyuga tended to be reclusive. The Hyuga refused to give up any personal information regarding their clan unless it was a request from the Hokage or it was deemed highly important. Seeing that Tsunade hadn't requested anything of Hiashi lately, she assumed that it had to be the latter. Very rarely though did the Hyuga _willingly_ give up information that fell into the second category. That was what had felt so puzzling.

"This looks pretty up to date," Tsunade says as she closes the records, "But I couldn't help but notice that Hyuga Hinata isn't listed anywhere in these records. I'm assuming it must have been a typo in your urgency to deliver these records to me?"

"Hiashi-sama says that isn't a typo…" The Hyuga messenger replies, with a bit of caution in his voice.

"Not a typo?" Tsunade asks, somewhat baffled.

"Yes…" The messenger begins, slightly trembling, "As stated by Hiashi-sama, Hyuga Hinata has been cast out of the Hyuga clan and has been replaced by her younger sister Hyuga Hanabi as heir to the Hyuga."

"_Cast out of the Hyuga clan?" _Shikamaru wonders in shock as he tries to absorb the new information.

Tsunade's lips suddenly turn into a scowl while her eyes look like they could kill someone. Unknowingly, Tsunade also releases small amounts of chakra from her body.

"What was her offense for such a punishment?" Tsunade asks coldly, "And choose your next words carefully…"

It is here where the Hyuga messenger starts to sweat profusely. He was fully aware that his response was punishable by death. But his Hokage had demanded an answer, so what was he to do?

"Please give me a piece of paper, and I shall write down what Hiashi-sama said…"

"Why do you need a piece of paper?" Tsunade answers, with a bit more irritation and annoyance in her voice, "Answer me! Now!"

"Because what I am about to say can be punishable by death…"

Tsunade sighs in frustration as Shikamaru goes to Tsunade's desk and brings forth a piece of paper and a pen.

"Thank you…" The messenger says as he writes down the message and gives it to Tsunade. Tsunade looks at the paper and her scowl deepens.

"He did what?!" Tsunade roars, as her chakra grows to such levels that several Anbu are posted outside of her door.

The Hyuga messenger quickly realizes that now would be the best time to leave and before Tsunade can do anything else, he quickly dismisses himself in a puff of smoke.

Shikamaru, still confused about what could piss his Hokage off, looks over to Tsunade and is surprised to see that tears are now streaming from her eyes.

Shikamaru takes the note from Tsunade, not quite prepared for what he is about to read.

_"For allowing herself to be in a relationship with the Kyuubi vessel…"_

_Chapter 5: Spring Cleaning! A new beginning!_

--

"_You can't be serious…" Hiashi says as he looks at his daughter._

"_I'm dead serious…" Hinata says, full of confidence, eyes unwavering, "I love Uzumaki Naruto and I will not allow anyone to speak badly about him in my presence…even if it's my own father…"_

"_Why do you carry affection towards a delinquent such as him?" Hiashi asks not out of concern for his daughter, but mere curiosity._

"_Naruto-kun is no delinquent!" Hinata barks. "Naruto-kun is a gentle soul that acknowledged me when nobody else would. His kindness and encouragement gave me the strength that you failed to deliver. He makes me feel like I can do anything. I will defend him even if it means my life!"_

"_It's a shame that you are wasting such courage on him…" Hiashi frowns as he activates his Byakugan and goes into a Hyuga stance, "I suppose I shall have to teach you a lesson then…"_

_Hinata charges towards Hiashi and attempts a strike with her right hand. Hiashi sees this and parries. He also parries the follow up strike that Hinata attempts with her left hand and counterattacks with an open palm thrust to Hinata's chest._

"_I can't allow myself to be hit!" Hinata thinks as she does a ground roll to the left._

"_Her reaction time has improved slightly…" Hiashi analyzes as he watches Hinata get up from the ground. "But it has to be a fluke. Nothing more…"_

"_You underestimate me, father…" Hinata states as she crosses her index fingers together. "I can see it in your eyes. I can see the doubt that I am not as useless as you assume me to be. And with this next move, I'll show you that I am not one to be taken lightly! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

_Hinata smirks as she sees the shock in Hiashi's eyes. It wasn't the fact that Hinata had learned how to performed this rare move that had Hiashi in shock, but more of who could have possibly taught it to her. It was the ultimate insult to his face. She was going to beat him with one of the "delinquents" signature moves._

_Hiashi grits his teeth as he watches the four Kage Bunshin clones surround Hinata. How dare she defy him like this! Very well then…there would be no mercy…_

_Hinata's clones dash towards Hiashi while Hinata herself follows her clones at a slight distance. Hiashi seeing this avoids the four clones and strikes Hinata directly._

"_Do not think that I would be so naïve as to fall for such a mediocre trick…" Hiashi says as Hinata coughs up blood._

"_Do not think that I would be so foolish as to not understand your tactics…father…" Hinata answers back as she disappears in a puff of smoke._

"_A clone?!" Hiashi thinks as he realizes that Hinata used a diversion. Hiashi then curses himself for being so stupid. Naruto had used the exact same strategy against Neji in the chunnin finals! How could he forget that!_

_Due to being so surprised at the growth of Hinata, Hiashi's guard is thrown off slightly as Hinata and her remaining three clones rush in and deliver strikes directly to Hiashi's chest as he is turning around._

_Hiashi staggers slightly. Hinata's strength was nowhere near Neji's yet, but the form and precision were dead on. Hinata had truly improved. And had this been under different circumstances, Hiashi would have been proud to call Hinata his daughter._

_But these weren't different circumstances. His daughter had fallen for the one boy in Konoha that was forbidden. Why did it have to be him? _

_So be it. Hanabi had already been back up for heir in case Hinata was deemed unfit. It looked like Hanabi would be back up no longer._

"_Kaiten!" Hiashi shouts as he spins his body, destroying Hinata's remaining clones and sending Hinata's body to the ground._

"_Looks like I've got no other choice but to use that move…" Hinata thinks to herself as she picks herself up from the ground. "It's now or never…"_

_Hiashi takes a couple of small breaths. He wouldn't admit it, but Hinata actually did a bit of damage to her old man. But she was still weak and unworthy of the name Hyuga. He would show her why…_

_Hinata focuses herself for her next attack, but now Hiashi decides to take the offense. Hinata blocks attack after attack while she tries to prepare for her next move._

"_What's wrong?" Hiashi mocks, "I thought you were going to show me not to take you lightly!" _

_Hinata attempts a counterattack out of frustration, but this was exactly what Hiashi wanted Hinata to do. Hiashi parries Hinata's attempt and counters with a strike of his own, initiating the HakkeRokuJuuYonShou._

"_You disgust me…" Hiashi says as he strikes Hinata with two palms and then four, "You are not worthy to carry the name of Hyuga!"_

_Hiashi then moves on to eight strikes, then sixteen, then thirty-two, then finishes it off with sixty-four strikes. Hinata falls to her knees._

"_You have ten minutes to pack up your things and leave this place before I throw you out…" Hiashi says as he walks towards the mansion._

"_Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmurs as tears start to stream down her cheeks, "I'm sorry…I lost…I couldn't defend your honor…forgive me…please don't hate me…"_

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata opens her eyes. After looking at the clock and seeing that it read 6:30 am, Hinata comes to the conclusion that she merely was dreaming of her bout with her father.

Hinata's eyes suddenly get watery at that memory. She had tried her best for Naruto, and had lost everything. She had failed to fully defend Naruto's honor, and she had lost her home that she had grown up in since she was a child. It was a shame that mother had to die. After mother died, her father had changed completely.

Hinata tries to fight back tears as she gets out of Naruto's bed and goes into the living room. When she sees Naruto on the sofa asleep with nothing but one sheet, the tears that Hinata had been trying to fight back fall freely down her face.

"Naruto-kun gave up his home, for me…"

While Hinata loved Naruto to death, she also felt miserable for the sacrifices that Naruto had made for her. First, he had opened his home up to her. Then, Naruto went to face her father. And then coming back, Naruto gives up his bed so that Hinata would be able to sleep comfortably. Naruto slept on the sofa, but Hinata could see that he was shivering slightly.

"That sheet won't keep you warm…" Hinata says as she looks at Naruto, "You'll catch a cold if you don't get some warmth…"

Hinata then smiles as she removes the sheet from Naruto and rests her body in his chest. Out of instinct, Naruto's arms wrap themselves around Hinata's body.

"_This may not be much…" _Hinata thinks as she gives Naruto a quick peck on his lips before snuggling her head in his neck and closing her eyes, _"But it's the least that I can do for you..."_

--

Meanwhile, in a training ground a block away from a dango restaurant, we find Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Tenten waiting for their sensei to appear.

"When is Anko-sensei going to show up?" Chouji asks, "I'm hungry!"

"And she asked us to be here at seven…" Kiba says as Akamaru yawns, "And for what?"

Tenten didn't say anything as she sharpened a kunai, but her frustration was the same as her teammates. Tenten wanted to catch up on her beauty rest. For one, Tenten was not a morning person, but for the sake of the mission she would be willing to do whatever was necessary. Unfortunately, it became a bit more difficult to do this when your sensei was Maito Gai, a man that gave Naruto a run for his money for the title of the most annoying energetic shinobi in Konoha. Her teammate Rock Lee was a runner up.

Chouji opens up a bag of chips and starts munching on them while Tenten sits down on the grass. Kiba follows Tenten's idea and also joins her on the grass, only he decides to lie on his back.

"Well if Anko-sensei is going to be late", Kiba says as he rests his arms behind his head, "I guess it couldn't hurt to get some shuteye until she shows up…"

"Kiba!" Tenten yells as Kiba starts to close his eyes, "You shouldn't do that! We need to wait for Sensei!"

"And I am waiting for sensei…" Kiba says back, "Just wake me when she shows up, ok?"

Tenten is about to complain when a kunai is suddenly launched into the ground a couple of inches away from her and Kiba.

"What the hell?" Kiba curses as he stands up.

"The kunai came from that tree…" Chouji says as he puts his chips away and walks towards his teammates, "I think we have an intruder…"

"Yahoo!" Kiba barks as Akamaru rejoins him from his _dog business_, "Finally some action! Come on out, whoever you are! I'll take you on!"

"_Men!" _Tenten thinks to herself as she takes out a second kunai.

A second kunai is launched from the tree that Chouji had pointed at. This time, the team is ready as Tenten blocks it with a kunai of her own.

"I'll get the intruder out…" Tenten says as she takes out four more kunai to make six, three in each hand.

"Get ready!" Tenten shouts to her teammates as she expertly throws all six kunai to the bushes of the tree. Before the kunai completely connect, a shadow jumps out of the tree.

"It's Anko-sensei!" Chouji says as he watches their new sensei descend from the sky.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Kiba asks.

As if answering Kiba's question, Anko tosses three shuriken. Tenten protects the team by throwing three shuriken of her own.

Anko finally lands on the ground. A mischievous smirk crosses her lips as she bites her thumb and then starts performing hand seals.

"Anko-sensei…" Chouji asks, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Anko shouts as she finishes the last hand sign and slams her hand down on the ground. As the smoke clears, a gigantic cobra is present.

"There is your breakfast…" Anko says to the cobra as she points her kunai towards her students, "Eat up!"

"Shikyaku no Jutsu!" Kiba shouts as his body takes on a more beast like form. "She's gone crazy!"

"Perhaps she is under some sort of spell…" Tenten suggests as she summons a ninjato from a scroll.

"Can you handle the snake by yourself?" Kiba asks Tenten.

"Yeah…" Tenten says as she jumps back to avoid the snake attempting to devour her, "I think I can manage this big boy on my own…"

"We will save Anko-sensei then…" Chouji says as he and Kiba run towards Anko, "Good luck…"

Due to being under the effects of Shikyaku no Jutsu, Kiba reaches Anko first and attempts a midair slash. Anko grabs Kiba's wrist in midair and slams him to the ground. Anko then follows up this attack by stomping on Kiba's chest with her foot.

"Kiba!" Chouji yells as he sees his teammate on the ground.

Meanwhile, Tenten jumps to her left to avoid another biting attempt from the cobra.

"I have to end this quickly…Kiba and Chouji need my help!"

The cobra raises its head and spits a green substance. Tenten blocks the substance with her ninjato and notices it starting to corrode.

"Acid…" Tenten analyzes as she tries to swing some off. "I definitely can't allow myself to get hit by that."

The cobra spits some more acid and Tenten cartwheels to her right to avoid getting hit.

"This won't last much longer…" Tenten says as she looks at the ninjato melting away. "Only one last option then…"

Tenten tosses the ninjato forward, and it pierces the neck of the cobra. The cobra hisses in agony before it falls to the ground and disappears in a puff of smoke.

"Now to help Kiba and Chouji…"

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Chouji yells as his body expands slightly.

"Surrender, or he dies…" Anko says venomously as she holds her kunai to Kiba's neck.

"Kiba…" Chouji hisses as he stops his attack.

Before Chouji can think of another solution, Anko jumps back to avoid the kunai thrown by Tenten.

"Kiba, are you alright?" Tenten asks as she helps him up.

"I'm pissed now…" Kiba growls as he pops a soldier pill into his mouth. "Akamaru! It's Showtime!"

Akamaru swallows a soldier pill that turns his fur red. Akamaru then jumps on top of Kiba's back while Kiba himself initiates a hand sign.

"Juujin no Bunshin!" Kiba shouts as Akamaru is transformed into an exact duplicate of Kiba.

"We have to incapacitate her!" Tenten says as she pulls out her summoning scroll once more and summons a sickle with wire attached to it. "I can trap her with this, but she isn't going to just stand there and let us capture her."

"Then you need a diversion…" Chouji figures out as he pulls out several kunai and ties them around his body.

"Leave that to us!" Kiba says as he and Akamaru charge towards Anko.

Tenten starts spinning her sickle while Chouji expands his body a bit more to become more ball shaped.

"Sorry to do this to you sensei," Kiba says as he and Akamaru spin in a drill like manner, "But you leave us no other choice. Gatsuuga!"

Anko jumps to her left to avoid Kiba's attack, but doesn't have a moment to rest as Chouji approaches her now.

"Nikudan Hari Sensha!" Chouji shouts as he rolls towards Anko with his kunai strapped around his body attacking as spikes.

Anko quickly rolls to the right to avoid Chouji's attack, and Tenten takes this opportunity to capture Anko. Tenten throws her sickle, but Anko anticipating this, blocks with her kunai.

"Shoot!" Tenten shouts as she pulls her sickle back and starts spinning again, "I almost had her!"

"We'll get her this time!" Kiba shouts as he and Akamaru drill into the ground and disappear.

Chouji stops rolling and reverts back to his normal form.

"Let's try this again!" Tenten yells as she throws her sickle towards Anko. Anko parries the sickle this time and starts to run towards Tenten before stopping.

"Gatsuuga!" Kiba shouts as he and Akamaru rise up from the ground on opposite sides. Anko however had avoided the attack by jumping backwards due to sensing Kiba's chakra in the ground beforehand.

But as Anko lands on her feet, she suddenly finds that she is not able to move anymore. She looks over to her left and sees that Chouji had stretched his arms and grabbed her.

"Good job, Chouji!" Tenten says as she and Kiba regroup.

"But how do we break Anko-sensei free of whatever spell she is under?" Chouji asks.

"There's no need to worry about that…" Anko says with a smirk on her face, "For I'm not under one…"

"NANI!?" All three teammates yell.

"How else was I able to see what you three brats were truly made of unless I made you think that your life was on the line?" Anko says as she removes herself from Chouji's grasp. "If I'm going to be training you three, I want to be sure that your skills are as good as the Hokage says they are…"

"But if you merely wanted to test us, why didn't you just let us know of your intentions?" Tenten asks.

"If you knew that this were only a test, then you wouldn't have tried as hard…" Anko says as she dusts off her clothes. "I'm not going to babysit anyone. I don't have the time for it. If you are going to be working under me, then I want no less then 100 percent, or else you can just go home. I don't care how Gai does it…I don't care how Asuma does it…and I don't care how Kurenai does things. When you are with me, there will be no training wheels. My training methods are cruel…and they will only continue to get crueler so that your true strength is unlocked…"

Kiba was still pissed from what Anko had put him through, but a grin actually came to his face. Anko was truly the one that would bring out the best of his abilities. Kurenai was a genjutsu genius, but that was it. Her ninjutsu and taijutsu were only average. Anko however, excelled in those two fields. Anko would be able to help Kiba a lot more in his specialized field.

Tenten had respect for Anko due to the fact that she was a strong female special jounin. One of the problems that Tenten had was that most of the female jounin that she knew paled in comparison to their male counterparts. Aside from Tsunade herself, there had not really been any other female jounin's that could really hold their own. Until now that is. In addition, Anko had been able to counter and/or avoid most of Tenten's weapons, her specialty. Anko probably knew even more ways of how to best utilize each weapon.

As for Chouji, he liked the fact that Anko didn't underestimate him, or belittle him. He also liked the fact that he was able to prove his worth without being under Shikamaru's shadow or facing Ino's bossy wrath.

"What the hell are you three all smiling for?" Anko asks. "Don't think you three are top-notch yet! Chouji, you have excellent power, but you are still a bit too slow. You're going to do a lot of running to get some speed up. Kiba, you rush in too much without thinking. You have a nice balance of speed and power, but what good is it if you can't connect? You're going to be reading a lot of books so you aren't so damn impulsive!"

Tenten giggles as Kiba and Chouji hang their heads down.

"Don't think I'm finished yet!" Anko says as she points at Tenten, "Tenten, I refuse to have a weak kunoichi under me! You might have good accuracy, but you have no power, and your attacks take too long to set up. If this had been one on one, you would have already been done for!"

Now Tenten hangs her head down in shame.

"But…" Anko begins again, with a softer tone this time, "You three understand the concept of teamwork. And your individual styles work well together. You three know how to adapt well to new situations and you aren't cowards. I'm proud to have you three under me…"

Anko actually smiles this time, which causes Kiba, Tenten, and Chouji to smile as well. Maybe working under Anko wouldn't be so bad after all…

"Now then…" Anko says as she does some hand seals, "I think it's time to take things up a notch. I wasn't kidding when I said that my training methods were going to be cruel…"

Anko clasps her hands together after finishing her seals, and suddenly, Chouji and Tenten fall to the ground.

"My legs…" Chouji says, "They feel so heavy…"

"My wrists…" Tenten says, "I can barely move them…"

"Exactly!" Anko says. "I've given the two of you chakra bracelets. Since you lack speed Chouji, I've placed them on your ankles. Since you lack power Tenten, I've placed them on your wrists. The two of you will have to move around with those on all day. They will only disappear when you go to sleep, and reappear when you wake up. You can thank Gai for teaching this to me!"

"_Gai-sensei…!" _Tenten fumes.

"I feel bad for you two!" Kiba laughs.

"Don't think I'm finished yet, Kiba-kun…" Anko sadistically mocks as she performs some more hand seals, "Hon no Jutsu!"

Immediately, Kiba is buried under a pile of books on philosophy, tactics, and strategy.

"What the hell?!" Kiba shouts as his head rises from all of the books.

"You might have the perfect balance of speed and power," Anko says, "But your brain could use some work. So you are going to be reading all of those books."

"Heh, this is nothing…" Kiba barks, full of confidence.

"Oh really?" Anko asks as she picks up a book, "Just so you know, you have to have read this entire book by tomorrow…"

Kiba grabs the book and flips through the pages, "What the hell! This book has 500 pages! How the hell do you expect me to read this entire thing by tomorrow?"

"That's your problem…" Anko says as she repeats the jutsu to remove all of the books except the one that Kiba is expected to read. "I'll know if you actually did it or not though, so don't try anything funny. As for you Chouji and Tenten, if you try to remove the jutsu, it will backfire and add ten pounds, so don't try and break it."

Chouji and Tenten barely manage to stand as Anko reaches into her jacket.

"I almost forgot…" Anko says to Akamaru as she feeds him a dog treat, "This is for you! You did a very excellent job! I'm very proud of you!"

Akamaru barks happily but then whimpers when he sees Kiba's facial expression.

"You three are dismissed, " Anko says as she starts to walk away. "And Kiba, if I were you, I would start reading that thing now. Time is not on your side you know…"

Kiba growls as he pulls out the book that he was assigned to read. Already into the first page, and Kiba is ready to fall asleep due to the boredom of it. Meanwhile, Chouji and Tenten who are barely able to stand now find it even harder to move around.

"Now for some dango…" Anko says as she disappears in smoke.

Then again, it looked like working under Mitarashi Anko was going to be cruel…very cruel…

_--_

Hyuga Compound, 7am

"Thank you all for arriving to this emergency meeting on such short notice…" Hiashi begins as he looks at the Hyuga gathered inside the room. "I bear bad news this morning. It would seem that my _ex-daughter_ Hinata, has disgraced our prestigious clan for the last time. As such, I saw fit to remove her so that her negative influence would not corrupt any others in our clan."

Neji frowned as he and Shino secretly listened to the conversation taking place between Hiashi and a couple of the elder advisors. Neji had thought that his uncle had changed after finding out the truth about his father at the chunnin exams, but it seemed that he was wrong.

"If anything is wrong..."Shino says, "Then my bugs will tell us..."

"What was her offense?" An advisor asks.

"She fell in love with that Kyubi garbage!" Hiashi shouts as he slams his fist down on the table, "She is now beyond saving after suffering such corruption. The only reason why I didn't kill her is because it would bring too many questions from outsiders that don't understand our clan."

The majority of the advisors in the room agreed fully with Hiashi. As the most prestigious clan in all of Konoha, the Hyuga had to be very mindful of who they chose to associate themselves with. To converse with the Kyubi brat every now and then was no real consequence since he was a fellow shinobi. But to get intimate with him in any way outside of missions was unacceptable.

"_Kyubi garbage?" _Neji asks himself as they continue to listen in, "Then that means…"

"This is bad..." Shino says.

"No disrespect, Hiashi-sama," One of Hiashi's advisors speaks, "But I don't agree with your decision concerning Hinata. As much as we would like her to be mature and wise, she is still a child learning the ways of the world. It is our duty to guide her and help her to learn from her mistakes so that she won't make worse ones. Is it truly right to just abandon her in her time of need?"

"You dare question me?" Hiashi asks the advisor that spoke out, "I'll show you what happens when you defy me!"

Hiashi strikes the advisor directly in the heart with a chakra filled hand. The advisor slumps down on the table dead.

"Anyone else have any objections to the way I run things?" Hiashi asks the other advisors in the room.

The remaining advisors all shake their heads no.

"Good…" Hiashi says as he stands up. "Now our next order of business is how to groom Hanabi and ensure that she is not corrupted like her sister was…"

--

_"Never forget that you are not alone…we are here for you, so don't push away the ones who care about you most…"_

Those had been Kakashi's final words before leaving Sasuke with his community service assignment, weed pulling. It had not been the first time that Kakashi had given Sasuke a couple of words of wisdom, but this time, Sasuke was willing to listen to them.

In retrospect, Sasuke realized that he had gotten off lucky. Had it been anyone else that had attempted what he once did, they would either be dead right now or rotting away in the Konoha correctional facility.

"_And I don't even have to deal with Ibiki…"_ Sasuke smirks as he pulls out a weed and tosses it to the side. His trials had been a wake up call. Life was not a game. Running away and claiming to be an avenger held very little honor in the long run. Sure he would have gotten Itachi, but at what cost? What would have had to be sacrificed in order to attain this goal?

"_Maybe there's another way…" _Sasuke wonders as he pulls out another weed. Sasuke wanted to avenge his clan, but he also had other ambitions. He wanted to restore the Uchiha clan. And he wanted to reopen the Konoha police force. His father Fugaku had been the head of it when he was a child. To protect…to defend…it felt like the right way to use the power that he had been blessed with.

"I could sure use some water…" Sasuke says as he wipes some sweat off of his forehead.

As if a mystical force were granting his wish, a glass of water is suddenly held in front of Sasuke's face.

Sasuke turns his head around and looks up to see who it is he has to thank and smiles when he sees who the recipient is.

"I thought you might be thirsty, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura says as she offers the glass of water with her left hand and holds an onigiri ball in her right hand.

"Shouldn't you be teaching?" Sasuke asks as he accepts the water and onigiri.

"Ino and I decided to end class early." Sakura says as she watches Sasuke eat, "Ino couldn't stop thinking about Shikamaru, and I couldn't stop thinking about you…"

"Are you sure that's wise to end class early?" Sasuke asks as he drinks from his glass, "I must make amends for my crimes, and the kids of Konoha need guidance so that they don't turn out to be foolish shinobi like Orochimaru…or me…"

"We didn't let them go so easily…" Sakura says as she sticks her tongue out at Sasuke, "They were told to study the tree climbing exercise. If we want them to truly be strong, then we need to start teaching them the more advanced stuff sooner…"

"I see…" Sasuke says as he finishes off the onigiri, "Well if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work…"

"Do you want me to help you?" Sakura asks.

"No…" Sasuke says, "I can't accept your help with this. This is something that I must do myself. Naruto had never been offered help on anything, so I must honor the pain that he went through. But thanks for the offer…"

"What does Naruto have to do with anything?" Sakura asks.

_"Haven't you ever wondered why everyone in this village hates Naruto?"_

_"You should be grateful, Sasuke. You may not have family, but at least you have people that care about you. This entire village loves you…"_

"…_While you may have people like Sakura adoring you, Naruto doesn't have anybody. Naruto would give anything to be in your place right now. I know that you have suffered through a lot, but so has Naruto, if not worse. Growing up for Naruto has literally been a living hell…"_

Sasuke thought back to what Tsunade had told him about a month ago. Now that Sasuke thought about it further, why did Naruto have to grow up alone? Why did a lot of people in the village despise him? Being a prankster was annoying, yes, but it would not be enough to get the majority of the village against you. Naruto's situation seemed to feel…secretive…

"We'll find out soon…" Sasuke says as he pulls out a weed, "Very soon…"

--

"So what will we do today, Gai-sensei?" Rock Lee asks as he and Maito Gai walk through town.

"Your flames of youth are burning brighter then they ever have before, Lee…" Gai begins, "But it is important that we do not overexert those flames and put them out. Therefore, we shall rest today, to give the body time to properly rest…"

"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee shouts as he salutes Gai, "I will do as you say and keep my flames of youth burning bright!"

"How about some curry, Lee?" Gai asks as he points to a curry restaurant, "My treat!"

"Yosh!" Lee shouts with enthusiasm. While Lee liked any kind of food, Lee was more partial to spicy foods, curry in particular.

"Help!" A female resident shouts, "That guy stole my purse!"

"How awful!" Lee shouts as he sees the guy running through Konoha village, "Somebody must put a stop to his evil ways, and that person shall be me!"

"What about giving your body time to rest, Lee?" Gai asks.

"One cannot rest when injustice is present, Gai-sensei…" Lee says, "I would not be able to enjoy myself when I see evil and I have the ability to do something about it. I did not forget your words of wisdom, Gai-sensei, but please forgive me and allow me to make an exception this one time and help this lady in her time of need. You can order the curry right now. I shall not be gone long."

Tears started to come out of Gai's eyes as he heard his favorite student speak.

"Sniff…that was…beautiful…Lee…"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee cries into Gai's chest.

"Now go Lee!" Gai shouts. "Show that evildoer how powerful your flames of youth are and I shall reward you with a curry feast!"

"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee shouts as he jumps on top of the roof.

"Man…that was easy…" The crook says as he hides in an alley. "With the village trying to recover after Orochimaru's attack, the higher ups don't have time to focus on small petty stuff like this…"

Just at that moment, a kunai appears in front of his feet.

"A kunai?" The crook asks as he picks it up. "Then that means that I am being foll…"

"Dynamic Entry!" Lee shouts as he knocks out the crook with a flying jump kick and recovers the purse, "I cannot stand around and allow this injustice to go on! I wish there were a smaller organization in Konoha devoted to this cause. I understand that the Hokage is very busy with bigger issues, but that doesn't mean that the smaller issues should be ignored…hmm…"

Lee returns the purse to the lady that it was stolen from.

"Thank you so much!" The woman says as she hugs Lee, "Words cannot express how thankful I am to you!"

"It was my pleasure!" Lee says as he holds his thumb up in the "nice guy" pose, "I am only doing what I can to ensure that Konoha is a safe haven for people of all ages! And as long as the flames of youth burn bright in my body, I will devote my life to this cause!"

--

_"**Naruto…Naruto…!"**_

"_Kyu…Kyubi?"_

Naruto was surprised. Usually whenever a "conversation" needed to take place, Naruto was the one who initiated it. And the conversations really only consisted of "Give me your power, you damn fox!" or "I need more power!", or "Shut up, you damn fox!" Naruto only seemed to converse with Kyubi when his life was hanging in the balance. But his life wasn't in danger right now, so why did Kyubi decide to speak with him?

"_What do you want, you damn fox!"_

_"**I must inform you brat, that due to a miscalculation, the seal binding us together will cease to exist…"**_

_"What do you mean?"_ Naruto asks confused, _"Are you saying that the seal will be destroyed?"_

_"_**_That is precisely what I mean…"_ **Kyubi responds back.

"_But if that happens," _Naruto begins, _"What's going to happen to you…? Or to me…?"_

_"_**_I will cease to exist…"_ **Kyubi begins again, _**"And all of my power, will be transferred onto you. In essence, you will be me, only without my memories and knowledge…"**_

"_I see…" _Naruto says as he tries to absorb the information.

"_**There is more…" **_Kyubi says, _**"Before I was sealed into you, I was immortal. I could be killed under certain circumstances, but I would not die of natural causes or any of the sicknesses that you humans suffer. But since my life is now drawn to yours, when our fusion is complete, you will gain my immortality, as well as your mate and any kids that you might acquire after our fusion is complete…My power will essentially be your kekkei genkai…"**_

"_Do you know how long it will be before our fusion is complete?"_

**_"Judging from the damage to the seal…about five years…"_**

--

"You wanted to see me?" Mitarashi Anko asks as she stands in Tsunade's office.

"If you have anything else planned with your team today, you might want to cancel…" Tsunade says sternly as she hands Anko a folder.

"No, I'm finished with my team for the day," Anko says as she takes the folder from Tsunade, "But I still don't see what is so important that I have to cancel any plans that I might have had with them…"

"Open it…" Tsunade says, "And you'll understand just why…"

Anko unravels the string around the folder and flips the top up. Anko pulls a document out and starts reading it. At first, Anko assumes it to be a mission as it has some of her personal data contained inside. But after reading a bit further…

"No…!" Anko says in shock, "This…this can't be…! You're bullshitting me, right?"

"What is contained inside is no joke, Anko…" Tsunade says with a serious look on her face, "It really isn't that difficult to figure out when you stop to think about it…"

"Then…then that means…!"

"Yes…" Tsunade says, "Now you see why I suggested you cancel anything that you might have planned with your team. This requires your full attention. I recommend that you act quickly, before it is too late…"

--

"If the village didn't like me before, they really aren't going to like me now…" Naruto says as he starts to wake up.

Naruto was actually still a bit pissed with what the Kyubi had told him. All of his life, Naruto had taken the beatings, taken the abuse, and dedicated himself as a proud ninja of Konoha just to prove to the village that he was _not_, the Kyubi no Kitsune. But now what was he supposed to say? In five years, the false claims that the village used to make against him (which some villagers still do claim behind closed doors) will actually turn out to be true. Life had been hard, but Naruto had worked his ass off cause "hey!" Things can't stay bad forever! Eventually things will get better! And for a while, it actually started to work. Slowly, Naruto had started to earn a little bit of respect from Konoha. Finally, people were starting to look at Naruto for _his_ actions, and _not_ those of the prisoner stored inside of him.

But now all of that hard work was about to be torn down…

A lot of innocent people had died in that attack a little over a decade ago. A lot of villagers lost their loved ones. Iruka-sensei for example, lost both of his parents, yet he still treated Naruto like a human being.

Unfortunately, Iruka was one of the few exceptions. Most of the villagers simply blamed Naruto for taking away their loved ones.

And that was the other thing that pissed Naruto off about all of this. Why did it have to happen to him! It wasn't fair! Why did he have to be the container for Kyubi? Didn't he have a right to decide his fate? But no…once again, a decision concerning him is made without informing him. Naruto never asked for this, and now he was being punished for this...

Immortality? Feh. What good is it to live forever when the villagers continue to hate you? To be hated for eternity for something that you had no hand in? Naruto wished that he would rather be dead.

And then there was Hinata. Sure, she loved him because she could actually see that he was not the Kyubi, but would she still be saying the same thing in three years when the fusion was complete? As Kyubi had said, if Hinata truly got intimate with Naruto, then she would inherit some of his power. All of the scorn that he had dealt with his whole life…would now be Hinata's problem to deal with as well. Hinata had already lost her family, but at least she still had the rest of the village for support. But if she mated with him, then she would lose that as well! Was Hinata truly prepared for what she was giving up for him?

Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He loved Hinata, but he didn't want her to suffer anymore because of him. He didn't want to leave her, but what other option did she have?

"_Hinata-chan…I said that I was going to take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise…you are my precious person and I give you my word that as long as I'm around…nothing bad like this is ever going to happen to you again…I said it before, and I'll say it again…I don't take back my words…that is my way of the ninja…"_

It was then that Naruto remembered his silent vow that he had made to Hinata last night. Naruto had given his word that he would keep Hinata safe from harm, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

But that vow had been made before Naruto knew what would happen to him.

"_Kuso!" _Naruto curses mentally. He had no idea what to do. It seemed like every decision he wanted to make contradicted another.

"Maybe I'll be able to think a bit clearer after a shower…" Naruto says as he gets up from the couch and heads towards the bathroom.

As soon as Naruto opens the bathroom door, his mouth hangs open.

Inside the bathroom was pink. Lots of it…

Pink towel, pink washcloths, even the shower curtains were pink. Not even the toilet seat was spared, for it too, had a pink covering on top.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yells, "Do you know what happened to the stuff I had inside the bathroom?"

"Oh they were dirty, Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells out from the bedroom, "So I decided to wash them! We should probably do some shopping! You probably aren't comfortable with all of this pink in your bathroom, are you? I'm sorry if it doesn't please you, but I felt that you deserved some clean things…"

_"Hinata-chan…"_ Naruto says to himself. Nobody had ever done anything like that for him, not even Sakura-chan. Hinata truly loved him. Maybe she might understand. And if she didn't…

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto says as he walks into the bedroom, "You might want to sit down. There's something that I have to tell you…"

--

"Ha ha ha!" Ino laughed as Shikamaru told her how "troublesome" his day had been.

"Oh man!" Ino says as she wraps herself around Shikamaru's arms, "I wish I could have been there to see it! You…picking up feminine products! Was it "a drag?"

Truthfully, the day had been horrible, and not because Shikamaru had been chosen to be Tsunade's "errand boy" for the day. The true horror was when he found out that Hinata had been disowned and kicked out of the Hyuga grounds by her own father. The icing on the cake was that the reason for Hinata's expulsion was due to the fact that she had fallen in love with the "Kyubi vessel".

This had been what had been puzzling Shikamaru all day. The only person that Hinata had been in love with was Naruto…

As for the Kyubi, the Kyubi was killed when the Fourth Hokage had used Shiki Fuujin to seal the Kyubi's soul to the underworld.

Or at least, that's what the legend stated.

Something told Shikamaru that there was more to the story then Konoha was willing to let on.

And he was going to find out what it was…

--

"I've got to hurry! There's no time to lose!"

Anko sprinted throughout all of Konoha, leaping from rooftop to rooftop in her quest to make it to her destination in time. This was a secret S ranked mission assigned only to her. Failure was not an option. She had to make it in time.

--

"I see…" Hinata says as she looks down at the floor, "So in five years, the Kyubi will merge with you completely, and you will have all of his powers, including his immortality and the ability to take his form?"

"Yes…" Naruto says.

"And if I become fully intimate with you, not only will I receive those same powers but any children that we might have will gain those same powers as well?"

"Yeah…" Naruto says.

"I see…" Hinata says again.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata shared any eye contact as Hinata tried to digest the information that she received. Kyubi still being alive inside of Naruto had been one thing, but Naruto being able to converse with the Kyubi was another. And now, as Naruto says, in essence, he will be the new Kyubi, only without its memories and knowledge.

"Naruto…" Hinata says, finally giving him eye contact.

Naruto is quick to notice that this had been the first time that Hinata had not added the suffix of "kun" after his name. Looks like it's over. Well it was fun…

"…So the rest of the village would hate us eternally…" Hinata says, "But I don't care! If it means that I get to love you eternally, then that is a great tradeoff!"

"Hinata-chan…"

"Nothing could make me hate you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as she cuddles close to him on the bed and nuzzles her head under his neck. "We both know that you had no say in the matters concerning the Kyubi, so why should I punish you for that? I'll love you till the end of time, and nothing is going to change that! Now lets do some shopping!"

Hinata kisses Naruto on the cheek and gets up from the bed to head into the bathroom to take a shower. Naruto grins as he places a hand on the cheek where Hinata had kissed him.

_"Then till the end of time, I shall watch over you, Hinata-chan…"_

--

"Let's try that shop, Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells as she drags his arm.

Naruto looks around and is quick to notice the odd stares around them. But what makes it different this time is that the majority of the stares are not aimed at Naruto, but Hinata.

"Hinata…"

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"Look around…"

"Oh I already know about them, Naruto-kun!" Hinata says cheerfully, "They don't approve of me being seen with you in such light. I am "tarnishing" the honor of my former clan, it seems…"

"_How can she be so optimistic about this?" _Naruto asks himself at first, but smiles when he quickly figures out the answer.

No matter what he did, people were going to continue to stare. It would never stop. However, it would only become painful if he paid any mind to it. If he ignored it and didn't give those villagers the satisfaction of knowing that their disapproving looks were hurting him, then it wouldn't hurt as much and they would leave him alone.

"_Looks like she has already figured out the secret…"_ Naruto thinks as Hinata drags him into a furniture store.

"So what color should we go with for carpeting, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks as she and Naruto look around.

"Your favorite color is purple, right?"

"Yes." Hinata answers.

"Then why don't we pick your favorite color and my favorite color, and combine them together! Let's go for an orange and purple theme!"

"That's a wonderful idea, Naruto-kun!" Hinata says as she hugs him. "I'll make some clones to get the purple!"

"Then I guess my job is to get orange!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto and Hinata shout simultaneously as eight clones appear.

"Let's go pay for this stuff and get something to eat!" Hinata says as she takes Naruto's hand and walks towards the register.

Meanwhile, at Ichiraku…

"Where is he?!" A frustrated Jiraiya fumes.

Just at that moment, Anko appears.

"Shoot!" Anko fumes as she looks around, "He isn't in here! Wait…Jiraiya…!"

"Ah, Anko…" Jiraiya greets as Anko approaches him, "What can I do for you?"

"I've been given a very special mission by Tsunade-sama…and I was told that you could help me complete it…"

"What is this mission?" Jiraiya asks.

Jiraiya's eyes open after Anko whispers into his ear her assignment.

"Stick with me Anko," Jiraiya says, "We've got work to do!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouts as he summons a fifth clone, "You unlock the door and make sure that all of our stuff gets home safely!"

"Got it!" The Naruto clone says before turning to the other Naruto clones and the Hinata clones, "Alright everyone! Let's go!"

"So what do you want to eat, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks after the clones disappear.

"I love ramen," Naruto says, "But I understand that we can't go to Ichiraku all the time since it wouldn't be fair to you. So you decide."

"Let's walk around." Hinata says as she takes Naruto's arm and leads him out of the store.

As soon as Naruto and Hinata step outside the store, a dagger lands directly in front of them.

"What the hell?!" Naruto curses as Hinata gets into a defensive stance.

Before Naruto and Hinata can question the source of the dagger, Anko and Jiraiya appear in front of them.

"Don't move…" Anko says sadistically as she plays with a second dagger.

"Erosennin?!" Naruto asks confused, "What's going on?"

"Naruto…" Jiraiya says, "You had better come with me."

"Right now?" Naruto asks, "Hinata-chan and I kinda wanted to get something to eat first…"

"Bring her along, too!" Jiraiya says, "This is very important, and I have to tell you right away!"

_"And I finally get to draw a Hyuga female. Nice work, Naruto…getting close to a Hyuga has always been damn near impossible to do, due to their Byakugan. But now I have one right in front of me! This is like a dream come true!"_

--

"Aw man that hit the spot!" Naruto says as he lays back in satisfaction.

"Tell me about it!" Anko agrees as she also lays back in her chair in satisfaction.

Both Hinata and Jiraiya look at Naruto and Anko and sweatdrop. It was almost weird how passionate the two were about their favorite foods.

The quartet had decided to meet in a restaurant that specialized in all kinds of foods. While the ramen and dango were not as good as the places that specialized in it, it seemed to have sufficed to satisfy the cravings of Anko and Naruto.

"I'm glad that you're full now Naruto," Jiraiya says as he drinks from his teacup, "Because what I'm about to tell you requires your full attention…"

Naruto sits up straight as he pays attention to what Jiraiya is about to say.

"Naruto…has it ever bothered you that you never knew anything about your parents or any other family members?"

"Yeah…" Naruto says, "It did. I always wondered what it would be like to have a father and mother. And a brother and sister…"

"Well this isn't easy to say, Naruto…" Jiraiya says, "But it has to be said. Naruto, your father's name was Minato Namikaze. And he was the fourth Hokage…"

"Nani!?" Naruto shouts in surprise. "I'm the fourth hokage's son?"

"Yes…" Jiraiya says, "Minato was my student, and he asked me to be your godfather when your mother was pregnant with you…"

"But why would he abandon me?" Naruto asks, filled with hurt, "It's been so lonely growing up by myself. Why did he choose me to hold the Kyubi?"

"Minato couldn't ask any parent to do that which he was unwilling to do himself, so that's why he chose you…" Jiraiya says, "Your mother Kushina Uzumaki died from complications after you were born. Neither of your parents wanted to abandon you. They both loved you very much…"

Naruto sighs as he thinks about what his life could have been. To have someone to walk him home once academy had ended…to have someone to tuck him in at night…to have someone to read him a bedtime story…to have someone to make breakfast for him in the morning…to have someone to tell him that they loved him…to have someone to look forward to seeing once he got home…

_"You're not leaving until you clean all of this up!" Iruka disciplined._

"_So?!" Naruto shouted, "It's not like I have anyone to go home to…"_

That old memory had been enough to send Naruto's emotions over the edge. Tears started to flow down Naruto's cheeks.

Anko sympathized with Naruto for she too knew what it was like to grow up unloved. Anko had grown up without any parents, and the closest thing that she had to that had been Orochimaru before he betrayed her.

"Cheer up, Naruto!" Anko says with a smile on her face, "Your parents may be gone, but you still have living relatives here in Konoha!"

"I do?" Naruto says as he perks up a bit.

"_He does?" _Hinata thinks. Hinata had stayed quiet throughout most of the conversation as she had felt it would have been out of place for her to say anything.

"Yes." Anko says, "Tsunade-sama had given me a special mission earlier today. That mission was to inform you that you had living relatives…"

"Why would Oba-chan give you that mission?" Naruto asks.

"Because…" Anko says with a grin, "I just happen to be one of those living relatives. I'm your aunt…"

Both Naruto and Hinata go wide-eyed in shock, and Hinata thinks back to the chunnin exams…

_CRASH!_

"_I am Anko Mitarashi! The next examiner for the Chunnin Exams!"_

"Your mother was my half sister, Naruto…" Anko says as she plays around with a dango stick, "Through DNA testing by Tsunade-sama, she was able to confirm that my father was a two-timer. He had a wife in the former Waterfall village as well as one here in the Leaf. Your mother…my sister…Kushina Uzumaki…was from the Waterfall village. This was a secret that he had hoped he would be able to take to the grave, but that won't be the case as we all know the truth now."

It all made sense now, Hinata started to realize. One of the common things that a lot of the rookie nine had thought back at the Chunnin exams was that Naruto and Anko's personality were very similar. The reason being that they were related!

"So what now?" Naruto asks.

"Well as your father's sister in law, that makes me a member of the Namikaze Clan. So I get to live in his estate as it rightfully belongs to me. As it rightfully belongs to you. As you are my nephew, that means that I get to teach you some cool jutsus!"

"I guess this means I have to start calling you Anko-nichan now, huh?"

"Don't push your luck…" Anko says, "I might accept you as my nephew, but that doesn't mean that I'm ready to accept pet names from you. Save them for your girlfriend over there…"

At that comment, both Naruto and Hinata blush bright red.

"I guess this means that I'll have to make some more clones to take our stuff over to the estate then?" Naruto asks Hinata.

"Looks like it…" Hinata says.

"Not so fast," Jiraiya butts in, "There is still one unfinished piece of business that I have to let you know about."

"What now?" Naruto says.

"Do you remember what happened when you and I tried to find Tsunade?" Jiraiya asks.

"Yeah," Naruto says, "We ran into Sasuke's brother and that fish guy from Akatsuki."

"Well I hear that they are on the move again, so as such, you need to be as far away from Konoha as possible."

"For how long?" Naruto asks.

Jiraiya holds up five fingers.

"5 months?" Naruto asks. "Well that isn't so bad."

"No Naruto, not months. Years…"

"5 years?!" Naruto says, "But I can't leave Hinata-chan behind for that long."

"I'll look after her while you are gone," Anko says.

"No…" Hinata finally speaks up, "I want to go with Naruto-kun."

"I'm sorry, but this is a man's journey…" Jiraiya says.

"_Heh…" _Naruto thinks as he puts his fingers together, "Oiroke no Jutsu!"

As the smoke around Naruto disappears, Naruto is not present but a naked female version of him is there instead.

"Please let her come along, Jiraiya-sama…" Naruko begs Jiraiya. "For me? O…nei…ga…i…?

"Ok, she can come along!" Jiraiya says, his mind cloudy.

"Heh…" Anko laughs, "Looks like this will be a fun 5 years on the road! Now I can't stay behind!"

"You're coming too, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks.

"Of course!" Anko says. "This village is dull as of late anyway. This will be a chance for me to see something new. And I'll teach you the stuff that I know so that you can be a better kunoichi…"

"What about your team?" Jiraiya asks.

"Oh Ebisu can have them," Anko says. "Besides, his team will be gone on the road for five years, so I'll give him something special to do. They were starting to grow on me, but my family needs me."

"Then pack up all the stuff that you'll need tonight…" Jiraiya says as Naruko transforms back into Naruto, "Because we leave in the morning…"

--

"Anko-sensei, how can you leave us now?" Chouji asks.

"Sorry Chouji…" Anko says to him as well as Tenten, "But this is something that I have to do. I just found out yesterday that I'm related to the number one hyperactive idiot of Konoha over there…" Anko says as she points her thumb at Naruto over by the entrance, "So we both want to make up for lost time seeing that neither of us grew up with any family."

"I joked that you two might be related…" Tenten says, "But I never thought it could be true!"

"Where's Kiba?" Anko asks, "I wanted to say goodbye to him as well!"

"He's over there talking to Hinata…" Chouji says pointing a finger towards the Konoha gates.

"Take care of yourself, Hinata…" Kiba says.

"Thank you, Kiba…" Hinata says as she gives him a hug, "I will. And you keep yourself and Akamaru healthy."

"Right!" Kiba says as Akamaru barks.

"So it looks like you're leaving the village this time…" Sasuke says as he, Sakura and Kakashi stand by Naruto at the borders.

"Yeah…" Naruto says, "But don't you worry. I'll be back in five years! That's a promise!"

"Naruto…" Sakura says as she hugs him tightly, "I'm sorry for all the mean things I've ever done to you…"

"Don't worry about it…" Naruto says as the hug ends.

"Before you go, Naruto…" Sasuke says, "The Hokage said that your childhood growing up was classified. What exactly happened to you?"

"I'll tell you guys…" Naruto says, "Kakashi-sensei already knows but wasn't allowed to tell you."

"Kakashi-sensei knows?" Sakura asks.

"That I do…" Kakashi speaks. "But it is Naruto's secret, so only he is allowed to tell it."

"Sasuke…Sakura-chan…I am the container for Kyubi…"

"_That explains that unknown power that you had all the time…" _Sasuke thinks to himself, _"No…the kyubi was not your power…your true power was your determination and willpower…your ability to never give up…that has always been your true power…"_

"Ok, time to go!" Jiraiya says.

"See you all in five years!" Naruto says as he and Hinata gather up their things.

"Be strong for me!" Anko says, as she gets ready to head out. "And Kiba?"

"Yeah?" Kiba says as he joins his new teammates.

"Take care of your team…"

"You don't need to ask me that. You already know that I'll do it…"

"_Everyone…" _Naruto thinks as he walks out the Konoha gates, _"I promise you that when I return in five years, I'll be a lot stronger then I am now. And I'll prove without a shadow of a doubt that I'm not the Kyubi. I might have all of his power when I come back, but I will only use it to defend all of you. Stay strong everyone, cause as soon as I return, I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it! That is my promise of a lifetime!"_

End of Book 1

--

Yes…it's been two and a half years since I last posted a chapter of Acknowledgement, but it's finally here…ironically, this is also how much time has gone by between the end of part 1 of Naruto and the beginning of part 2 of Naruto. Funny, isn't it?

I read the emails and the reviews, and I thank each and every one of you for responding, for that gave me the strength to finish this. Part of the problem was this…

1) I discovered that I am a "jack of all trades" artist.

Sometime last year, I had an epiphany. That epiphany was that I was not a writer, but a musician, and that I needed to return to my roots (which I did). But once I started transforming my bedroom into a music studio, I had another epiphany. While I couldn't give up the music, I couldn't give up the writing either. They are both a part of me. As such, not only am I still working on my original story, but also some drawing projects, as well as some music that I've been composing.

2) There are some things in life that you just can't learn from a textbook…

A lot has changed in the past three years. I more or less got a full time job, got my own place, and even had a couple of relationships. I was starting to get a feeling for what the real world was and starting to make that transformation from a boy to a man. But now that I've seemed to have dealt with that, I can focus on the things that I enjoy, like my music, and my writing…

3) Lack of muse hurts the spirit

Writing great fanfiction is a lot like having sex. In order for it to be really good, you have to be in the mood. Sure you can try to force it to happen, but then you just end up disappointing yourself, getting frustrated, and might even get a headache or two.

4) The mind of a Kage Bunshin warrior…

My mind is like that of Kage Bunshin…it is split in several different places. I will constantly be thinking about several different stories (fanfiction and original) all at the same time. In fact, before I finished typing this up, I was actually thinking first of finishing up chapter 2 of my Cherry Blossom remix (halfway done people), then I was thinking of my original story while at work. Then, I was thinking about a short Naruto story that would star Sakura and Hinata, and as a bonus, I would leave a sneak preview of Acknowledgement chapter 5 at the end, but then my inspiration came fully to finish the fic, and here it is.

As you read at the end, this is the end of book 1, so even if it takes me another 3 years to release another chapter (which hopefully it won't), at least now the story is ended on a point that is somewhat conclusive but not finally conclusive (think season finale). There will be a chapter 6 to this story, and it will take place 5 years later. Here is a preview…

_"Now that you are both Jounin…" Tsunade says as she looks over the files for Naruto and Hinata, "It's time to assign you both a team. It's time for you to lead now…"_

Yeah…Naruto and Hinata are going to come back and kick much ass…

If you have any questions that I haven't answered, then feel free to email me or reply or whatever, and I'll respond the best I can.

I've also updated this chapter by fixing typos, and giving Shino a couple of lines.

Until next chapter/story! Thanks for reading!


	6. Five Year Journey!

"_Everyone…_ _"I promise you that when I return in five years, I'll be a lot stronger then I am now. And I'll prove without a shadow of a doubt that I'm not the Kyubi. I might have all of his power when I come back, but I will only use it to defend all of you. Stay strong everyone, cause as soon as I return, I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it! That is my promise of a lifetime!"_

These were the thoughts that went through Naruto's mind as the quartet walked through Fire country. The promise to return stronger then he was before so that he could protect all of his precious people.

While Naruto was excited to be receiving some special training, five years felt like an awfully long time. How would things in Konoha change while he was gone? In addition to that, Naruto wouldn't get to taste the food of the gods known as Ichiraku. How would he get by?

_"As soon as five years are over, I'm immediately heading to Ichiraku for some ramen!"_ Naruto thought miserably. Five years was too long to be away from Ichiraku.

"_Five years with Naruto-kun…" _Hinata thinks as she blushes slightly, _"This is so romantic!"_

" _I wonder how Konoha is reacting to the news that I'm related to Minato through marriage?" _Anko thinks to herself. Not too many people in Konoha had been nice to her growing up following Orochimaru's defection. This would show those bastards.

"_Before five years are up, I've got to be sure that I capture some pictures of Anko and Hinata…" _Jiraiya thinks to himself, trying to avoid a nosebleed, _"This would make for some great inspiration!"_

_Five Year Journey! Naruto and Hinata's growth!_

--

"Oy! Erosennin!" Naruto yells as they reach the borders of Fire Country," Where are we going?"

"In order to elude Akatsuki," Jiraiya begins, "We must go to a place that is not well known and hard to get into. Therefore, we will be going to Myobokuzan, the land of the toads. Once we get there, you will be trained in Senjutsu and learn the same techniques that I know."

"Really?" Naruto says with sparkles of excitement in his eyes, "That sounds so cool! Do you hear that Hinata? We're going to go to Myobokuzan!"

"No Naruto," Jiraiya says seriously, "Only you and I will be going to Myobokuzan. Hinata and Anko will not be allowed to go."

"Nani?" Naruto asks, "Why can't they come?"

"As I said before," Jiraiya says, "Myobokuzan is the land of the toads. The only humans allowed on that mountain are ones that have signed the toad contract. Since Anko has signed the snake contract, she is forbidden from entering."

"And besides," Anko chimes in, "Hinata has her own special training that she will be doing. She won't have time for any romantic getaways."

Naruto and Hinata blush at this comment.

Anko does a couple of hand signs before slamming her hand down on the ground. When the smoke clears, a summoning contract is seen.

"The only thing that I regret about this contract is that it reminds me of _him…_" Anko says with disgust in her voice.

"_Orochimaru…" _Naruto and Jiraiya think in unison.

"Who does it remind you of, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks, not being in on the secret.

"Orochimaru…" Anko says as she opens up the summoning contract, "But that's all in the past. Hinata, I need you to sign your name on this contract so that you can officially become my apprentice."

"Ok." Hinata says as she searches her pockets for a pen.

"Not with a pen sweetie," Anko says with a smirk, "But with your blood!"

"My…my blood?" Hinata asks, slightly terrified. She then looks to Naruto for confirmation.

"It's true…" Naruto says as he nods his head, "Only by using our blood can we connect ourselves with the animals that we summon. But it's really cool to do! Once you learn how to do it, you can summon a partner anytime you want to! It's like how Kiba has Akamaru!"

"Really?" Hinata says.

"Yeah, I'll show you. Watch me closely." Jiraiya says as he bites his thumb and does some hand signs before slamming his palm on the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

When the smoke clears, a small old green frog is present.

"You're not Gamabunta…" Naruto says.

"Watch your language, Naruto!" Jiraiya says as he slams his knuckles into Naruto's skull, "This is Fukasaku, one of the two great sages of Myobokuzan! He is going to help with your training!"

"Are you perverted like Erosennin?" Naruto asks as he holds his head in pain.

Fukasaku immediately starts laughing.

"Oh, I haven't had a good laugh like that in a while!" Fukasaku says with a chuckle, "No…I have no interest in those orange books of his…"

"Fukasaku-sama…" Hinata says as she bows in front of him, "It is an honor to meet you."

"Oh? Such manners from a young lady! I'm impressed! Tell me, what is your name?"

"I am Hyuga Hinata…" Hinata eloquently speaks, "Former heir to the Hyuga clan, and future wife to Uzumaki Naruto!"

"I see…" Fukasaku says, "Interesting…"

And it was interesting. Here standing before him was the former heir to the prestigious Hyuga clan. If that wasn't interesting enough, this young lady also said that she would marry Uzumaki Naruto. Being aware of Naruto's parentage as well as his unique "condition", Fukasaku had to say that this was an event that he would probably never see again in his lifetime.

"As for you…" Fukasaku says as he looks towards Anko, "You have the essence of snakes on you. Who might you be?"

"I am Mitarashi Anko…" Anko begins, slightly disgusted, "Former apprentice to snake Sannin Orochimaru…"

"_That explains why she has the essence of snakes…" _Fukasaku thinks.

"However…" Anko continues with a smile on her face, "I am also the maternal aunt of Uzumaki Naruto!"

And just when Fukasaku thought things couldn't get more interesting, they did. Orochimaru's former apprentice also happened to be a blood relative to Minato's only child? There was truly something special about the boy…

"Are you ready to go?" Fukasaku asks the men, "We must head out at once to begin the training."

"How long are we going to be gone?" Naruto asks.

"Three years." Jiraiya answers.

"Three years?" Naruto asks in shock.

"That time frame isn't just for you, Naruto," Anko butts in, "That is also to allow Hinata enough time to get the hang of summoning down and learn my snake jutsus. For the next three years, she and I will be training on Hebiyama."

"It's not that…" Naruto says seriously, "It's just that, all of my life, I've been alone. But now, when I finally get someone that is more precious to me then life itself, and finally find out that I have a living blood relative who has suffered the same pain of loneliness as much as I have, they are taken away from me!"

"Naruto…" Anko says as in a rare moment of femininity, she hugs Naruto. Anko understood Naruto's pain perfectly. Anko could remember the cold stares that she received from the other villagers. "Snake whore" had been her nickname, and those words hurt more then any kunai ever could.

"It's only going to be for three years, Naruto," Anko says as tears stream down her cheeks, another rare feminine moment, "And then you and me can get to know each other and make up for all of those lost years. Now that I know that you are related to me, I'm never letting you out of my sight again! But for now, you have to be strong, Naruto! If you wish to protect everyone, then you can't break down, even when things look like they are at their worst! You have to keep moving forward! That's the kind of person Konoha needs. Become that person, Naruto! Become that Hokage!"

"You're right!" Naruto says as he breaks up the hug, his spirits returned, "I can't fall apart now! Everyone needs me to be strong!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata says as she throws herself on her crush, "I'll miss you! But don't worry! Three years is a small price to pay for an eternity together! Remember that, even when you don't have the strength to move!"

"_This is perfect!" _Jiraiya thinks as he jots down notes to the scene playing in front of him, _"This will be great for chapter eight with Hiromi and Kazuto!"_

"For luck…" Hinata says as she cups Naruto's cheeks with her hands and pulls him into a deep kiss.

Jiraiya starts to nosebleed as he continues writing. Who knew that bringing Hinata along would create such inspiration?

"We must be going now," Fukasaku says as Hinata breaks up the kiss as quickly as it had begun.

"How do we get to Myobokuzan?" Naruto asks.

"It takes about a month to get there on foot," Fukasaku explains, "But if you don't the secret entrance, you'll get lost. We are not going by foot however…"

"We're not?" Naruto asks, "Then how are we-" POOF!

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells as she sees that both Naruto and Jiraiya have disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Reverse summoning…" Fukasaku says before disappearing in a poof of smoke as well.

"Now that the men are gone," Anko says as she lays the snake contract back onto the ground, "I need you to sign this so we can begin."

"Ok." Hinata says as she bites her thumb to draw blood, and then signs her name directly below Anko's.

"Do you remember the hand signs that Jiraiya did earlier?" Anko asks as the contract disappears in a poof of smoke.

"Yes." Hinata answers.

"Good. Then show me Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Hinata does the hand signs correctly before shouting "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" and slamming her hand on the ground. When the smoke clears, Hinata sees a purple Egyptian cobra about 2 feet tall.

"Ankohh…" The snake hisses, "Why have you summoned me?"

"I'm not the one that summoned you," Anko says as she points towards Hinata, "She is."

"Her?" The snake asks in disbelief, "She looks too pampered to summon a snake of my caliber…"

"Appearances can be deceiving…" Anko says, "But she did summon you."

"I did it to prove that I could…" Hinata says.

"So you finally speak…" The snake says as it slithers over to Hinata, "Tell me little girl, what is your name?"

"I am Hyuga Hinata." Hinata answers properly.

"Hyugaa…then I was right…" The snake says with a bit of disgust, "You _are_ a pampered little girl. Tell me, why should I listen to a spoiled brat like you?"

"I no longer have any ties to the Hyuga other then in name and bloodline," Hinata says, "I was originally the next heir to the Hyuga until my father disowned me two days ago…"

"And you expect me to pity you because of that?" The snake says scornfully. "I am Hebiko, daughter of the snake boss Manda. But Manda has no compassion for any of his children! He told me that if I wanted respect, then I would have to earn it for myself! As far as he was concerned, I was dead to him!"

"I am terribly sorry for what has happened to you," Hinata says as she tries to approach Hebiko, "But that is why we should work together. We have common upbringings…"

"Feh!" Hebiko says as she slaps Hinata's hand away with her tail, "Even despite your expulsion from your former clan, you still act like a pampered little girl! I don't care if you did summon me, you make me sick!"

"Tell me…" Hinata says humbly as she bows, "What must I do to earn your respect? What must I do to gain favor in your eyes?"

"Get up…" Hebiko says, "You are no longer Hyuga, so why do you resort to your old ways?"

"You're right…" Hinata says as she gets up off the ground.

"Why are you even still a kunoichi anyway?" Hebiko asks. "Now that you are not a Hyuga, you no longer have any obligation to continue the path of the shinobi."

"I wish to be strong enough to protect all that is precious to me!" Hinata proclaims with a bit more confidence in her voice, "I will show everyone in my village that my status does not determine how powerful I can be! I want respect because I've earned it, not because of what my family name is! I will show them all that I'm not the pampered princess that always needs to be rescued, but that I can hold my own! I don't want to be seen as a failure or a liability any longer, I want to be seen as a proud kunoichi that can hold her own like Anko-sensei!"

"_There may be hope for her yet…" _Anko thinks to herself.

"You talk big," Hebiko says, slightly impressed, "But how strong is your resolve?"

"Tell me what I must do," Hinata says, "And I shall show you that you won't regret being summoned by me!"

"You are aware that the training on Hebiyama will be harsh?"

"I am." Hinata answers.

"And I can almost guarantee that you will have a couple of scars upon your body, making you less desirable to males…"

"If I'm afraid of getting a couple of scars, then I don't deserve to be a ninja!" Hinata shouts, "I will not be like the other kunoichi that worry more about their figure then their actual skill! And if I can't be strong enough to hold my own, then I don't deserve to get married! I will not rely solely on my looks to get by!"

"Spoken like a true kunoichi…" Hebiko says with a smile, "I look forward to being your summon, Hyuga Hinata! Hurry up and make it to Hebiyama!"

With those words, Hebiko disappears in smoke. Left in her place is a scroll.

"Ready to go, Hinata?" Anko says as she picks up the scroll, "Hebiko left us a present. This scroll is good for only one use, but it will summon us directly to Hebiyama."

"How long would it take us to get to Hebiyama by foot?" Hinata asks.

"We could make it by nightfall if we hustle," Anko says.

"Then save the scroll…" Hinata says, slightly dizzy, "We don't need to use it. If I… really want to be strong… then I can't rely on any shortcuts…."

"Hinata?" Anko asks, "How much chakra did you use?"

"Most of it…" Hinata says before passing out on the ground.

"Such resolve…" Anko says with a smile as she slumps Hinata's body over her shoulder, "She'll be a great wife to Naruto once I'm through with her…"

The scroll turns into dust as Anko and Hinata disappear in a poof of smoke.

--

_Myobokuzan_

"Wow! This place is cool!" Naruto exclaims as he looks around Myobokuzan.

"I'm glad that you enjoy it," Fukasaku says, "Now follow me, and I shall show you to your quarters."

As Naruto walks, he spots a familiar orange frog with a blue jacket.

"Gamakichi!" Naruto shouts.

"Naruto!" Gamakichi says as he approaches, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be training here for the next three years!"

"You two already know each other?" Fukasaku asks.

"Yeah." Naruto says, "Gamakichi has helped me in a pinch lots of times."

"And Naruto always gave me snacks." Gamakichi says as Naruto gives him a bag of ramen flavored chips.

"Gamakichi." Fukasaku asks, "How would you like to help out in the training? There are a couple of techniques that require Naruto to have a partner."

"Count me in!" Gamakichi says before hopping away to enjoy his snack.

"This is where you and little Jiraiya will be staying." Fukasaku says as they walk across lily pads into a room that is made completely out of seashell. In the middle of the room is a stone table, while on opposite sides of the room laid beds made of wood.

"You are probably hungry," Fukasaku says as Naruto and Jiraiya get settled into the room, "I'll see about getting you some food so that you have the energy for training."

"What are we going to do first?" Naruto asks Jiraiya.

"We need to figure out your element," Jiraiya says, "So that we know what jutsus will work best with you."

--

_Hebiyama_

"Ok princess," Anko says as she tosses Hinata into the river, "Time to wake up!"

"Aren't you the harsh one?" Hebiko asks as a splash is heard.

"I can't go easy on her anymore…" Anko says, "For her sake, and the people that she desires to protect with all of her heart, Hinata must be stronger. This is merely the first step in accomplishing that goal."

"Achoo!" A now soaked Hinata sneezes as she climbs out of the river.

"Have a nice swim?" Anko asks as Hinata starts to approach.

Hebiko meanwhile, is rolling around on the floor in laughter.

"Was it really necessary to wake me by dropping me in the river?" Hinata asks.

"No, but it was sure fun to do!" Anko says trying to keep from laughing, "Besides, that is your first lesson that you will receive from me. I will not go easy on you these next three years! If you want to be a strong kunoichi, then you'll have to tough it out!"

"I understand…" Hinata says as she squeezes some water out of her hair.

"I suppose the first thing we should do is figure out what element you are," Anko says as she takes out some chakra paper, "I don't want to waste time trying to teach you jutsu that you don't have any capacity of learning."

"How does this work?" Hinata asks as she takes a sheet from Anko.

"This paper is designed to do one of five things depending on what element you are. If you are earth, the paper will turn into dust. If you are lightning, the paper will crumble up into a ball. If you are fire, the paper will burn. If you are water, the paper will become wet and soggy, and if you are wind, the paper will slice in two."

--

"What element are you, Erosennin?" Naruto asks after grabbing a sheet of chakra paper.

"I guess I'll show you!" Jiraiya says as he focuses his chakra into his sheet of paper. Moments later, the paper becomes dust.

"As you can see, I'm the earth element!" Jiraiya says as a gust of wind blows away the remaining pieces, " Now you try, Naruto! Just focus a bit of your chakra into the paper!"

"Ok!" Naruto says as he channels his chakra.

--

"I'm Fire!" Anko says as her paper burns. "Now it's your turn, Hinata! Let's see what element you are! Channel your chakra into the paper!"

"Hai!" Hinata says as she focuses.

--

"Wind?" Jiraiya says as Naruto's paper is sliced in two, "Then that means your element is good for close range fighting."

"I wonder what Hinata's element is?" Naruto asks as his paper falls to the floor.

--

"Ironic that your element would be _water,_ considering your little swim earlier…" Anko says as Hinata's paper becomes soaked.

Hebiko is once again on the floor laughing.

"I'm sure glad I decided to accept you, Hinata!" Hebiko says between laughs, "Who knew you could be such entertainment!"

Hinata retaliates by throwing a kunai towards Hebiko.

"_Yesss…" _Hebiko thinks as she catches the kunai with expert timing, _"Hinata is finally showing some backbone…"_

"Unfortunately, this also presents us with a bit of a problem…" Anko says as Hinata returns her attention, "Most of the elemental jutsu that I know are fire based. Since your element is water, performing them will be next to impossible."

"_Wait a second!" _Hinata thinks, _"I can perform Kage Bunshin thanks to Naruto-kun. Since my element is water, that means that I can probably perform the water variation with little difficulty!"_

Hinata crosses her fingers while trying to think of nothing but water.

From the river nearby, a blob of water starts to shape into a clone of Hinata before stepping out of the river.

"Hinata…" Anko says in shock as she sees the clone approaching, "How did you perform Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu out of the blue like that?"

"You can thank Naruto-kun for that…" Hinata's clone answers, "He taught me how to perform Kage Bunshin. Since my nature is water based, I figured that using a water variation of the move would be easier for me to do and use up less chakra."

"_Amazing…" _Hebiko thinks, truly impressed by Hinata's intelligence and potential. _"This will be an interesting three years…"_

"Fortunately, I came prepared!" Anko says as she goes to her bag and tosses a couple of scrolls with 水 on it to Hinata.

"Water jutsu?" Hinata asks, seeing the kanji for "mizu" on them.

"What kind of teacher would I be if I couldn't see to your needs?" Anko says with a grin.

"Thank you." Hinata says with a bow.

"Don't start getting sappy on me…" Anko warns, "Now dispel your Bunshin and take a soldier pill. Then I'll show you your first snake technique, the Senei Jashu."

--

_Hebiyama, One year later_

"Senei Jashu!" Hinata yells as a snake comes out of the sleeve of her shirt.

"Excellent!" Anko says as she avoids Hinata's attack, "You've mastered the use of Senei Jashu. When we meet back up with Naruto in two more years, I'll teach you a more advanced version of this move."

"Really?" Hinata asks as she thinks about her beloved.

Hinata never got an answer to her question for she soon found herself knocked in the river.

"You must really like the water," Anko mocks from hearing that familiar splash, "Cause you sure seem to spend a lot of time in it…"

And just like last year, Hebiko is on the ground laughing.

"This "Naruto" must be very dear to Hinata if he can distract her from her training," Hebiko says as a now soaked Hinata comes out of the river.

"He is…" Anko says as she pulls out a picture and shows it to Hebiko, "He also happens to be my nephew."

"Naruto is your nephew?" Hebiko asks.

"Yep, although I didn't find out until a year ago. It turns out that his mother was my half sister, and I didn't even know it. I only met her once before she died giving birth to him. But now I'll watch over him."

"He's kinda cute…" Hebiko says with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Hey!" A soaked Hinata says as she looks at the picture, "He's mine! Get your own boyfriend!"

"This would probably be a good time for a dango break…" Anko says as Hinata and Hebiko talk about Naruto like giddy schoolgirls.

--

_Myobokuzan_

"Oodama Rasengan!" Naruto shouts as he slams his attack into a tree.

"Your new original Rasengan is complete!" Jiraiya says as Naruto's Bunshin pops, "But before we learn any more new techniques, let's hone all of the ones that you already know first."

"Like what?" Naruto asks as he drinks some green tea.

"For starters," Jiraiya begins as he takes out some papers, "Do you know the full power of Kage Bunshin?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm surprised that you don't know, considering how often you use the technique," Jiraiya says, "Everything that one of your Bunshin learns or experiences, including fatigue, is passed on to you once it disperses. So for example, say you and one clone work out for one hour. When the clone is gone, it will pass on its hour of experience to you. So that would be equal to two hours of working out even though you technically only worked for one."

"So that means…" Naruto says as he starts counting his fingers, "That if ten of my clones work out with me, it will be like me working out for eleven hours?"

"Exactly." Jiraiya says. "Everything that your clone experiences is passed on to you. Make one clone."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouts as he creates one clone, "Now what?"

"You stay over there!" Jiraiya yells, "But your clone! I want you to come here and read this!"

Naruto's clone goes over to Jiraiya and starts reading the papers in Jiraiya's hand before blushing bright red in the face.

"What happened?" The original Naruto asks.

"Find out for yourself…" Jiraiya says grinning as he dispels Naruto's clone with an elbow jab.

_"Kazuto-kun!" Hiromi moans as Kazuto nibbles on her breasts, "I…I want it!!"_

"_Are you sure?" Kazuto says as he positions himself over Hiromi's naked body._

"_Haiii!!" Hiromi moans again as Kazuto uses his fingers to pleasure her, "Hyaku!!"_

"_As you wish…" Kazuto says as he thrusts himself inside of Hiromi, "Ikuzo!"_

Naruto immediately nosebleeds as the memory of what his clone read enters his mind.

"You pervert!" Naruto yells as he covers his nose with both of his hands, "You did that on purpose!"

"HA! HA! HA!" Jiraiya roars in laughter, "What's the matter, Naruto? You can dish it out, but you can't take it?"

"Are they always like this?" Fukasaku asks Gamakichi as they watch Naruto and Jiraiya bicker from the sidelines.

"Always…" Gamakichi answers.

"You'll regret doing that…" Naruto says with a mischievous smirk as he crosses his fingers, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Immediately, a hundred clones surround the field.

"Uzumaki Naruto Ougi!" Naruto and all of his clones say in unison, "Harem no Jutsu!"

Suddenly the field is covered with 101 naked women.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Several "Naruko's" say as they hug the perverted sage, "Am I cute enough for you?"

There is suddenly a gush of blood everywhere as Jiraiya, Fukasaku, and Gamakichi pass out on the ground unconscious.

"Perhaps that was overkill…" The original Naruto says, rubbing the back of his head.

--

_Hebiyama, Two years later_

"This time, you're going to be the one taking a swim, Anko-sensei!" Hinata shouts as she and Anko spar over Hebiyama river.

"_She's greatly improved over these past two years…" _Anko thinks as she dodges Hinata's strikes, _"I can't allow myself to be hit by any of her attacks, or I'll lose…"_

Hinata does a couple of hand signs before holding her right palm forward.

"Mizuton! Mizuhou!" Hinata shouts as a stream of water is released from the palm of her hand.

"Nice try Hinata!" Anko yells as she jumps over the attack, "But you'll have to do better then that!"

As Anko starts to land, she realizes just how close she is to Hinata. And once she sees the glint in Hinata's eyes, she knows that she is in trouble.

"You are in my field of divination!" Hinata yells, "Prepare to eat Juken!"

"_Nothing to use Kawarimi on…"_ Anko thinks as she grits her teeth, _"Only one other option then…"_

Right as Hinata is about to strike, she stops at the last minute.

"Na…Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks confused.

"Hinata-chan…" Anko (henged into Naruto) says, "Three years is too long a wait to be away from each other. I missed your beautiful face and your beautiful body."

"No…" Hinata says as her face turns red, "You can't be Naruto-kun…he's supposed to be training on Myobokuzan…"

"I snuck away just to see you…" Naruto says as his clothes now disappear, "Let's do it, right here and right now!"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as she faints and falls into the water.

"Hormones are a shinobi's greatest weakness," Anko says as a soaked Hinata rises up from the water.

"_I don't believe I fell for that again!" _An enraged Hinata thinks as she uses chakra to stand on the surface of the river. _"Using my love for Naruto-kun against me! Ooh!!"_

"Remember what I've told you Hinata," Anko lectures, "In the world of ninja, there are no rules. Your enemies will not hesitate to use such tactics against you for the sake of the mission. It's not just about strength and guts, you also must keep your emotions in check! And never let your guard down!"

"I agree…" Hinata says as a pair of hands grab Anko's ankles before dragging her down into the river, "Never let your guard down, or you might have sensed my Mizu Bunshin!"

"_She's learning…" _Anko thinks as she destroys Hinata's Mizu Bunshin and leaps back to the surface.

"How does the water feel, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks, sticking out her tongue.

"Not bad…" Anko says as she takes out a kunai, "Ready to receive another scar?"

"Bring it!" Hinata says as she also takes out a kunai.

Ripples form on the water as both kunoichi's charge each other. The intensity of the duel brings out other snake inhabitants as an audience.

"That girl…" One snake says, looking at Hinata, "She has come a long way…"

--

_Myobokuzan_

"Naruto picked up Senjutsu a lot faster then I thought…" Fukasaku says as he watches Naruto train.

"I'm proud of him…" Jiraiya says, also watching, "I'm glad that I took him on as my apprentice…"

"In two years, Naruto has completely mastered his wind element, picked up earth and water, and gotten the concept of Senjutsu down. There is nothing more that I can teach him…"

"I didn't think that he would finish a year early either," Jiraiya says as Naruto now uses Senjutsu to lift up a giant statue, "But there is still the matter of Akatsuki. My sources are telling me that they are still pretty active, especially in the Fire country, so we have to stay out here for one more year."

"I understand," Fukasaku says, "Take all the time you need."

--

_Myobokuzan, Three years later_

"Are you excited, Hinata?" Anko asks the now 16 year old teenager as they stand at the entrance of Myobokuzan.

Hinata had remained quiet during the trip to Myobokuzan. A lot had changed in three years. Her hair had gotten longer, and she now wore a pair of formal sandals with heels instead of the standard shinobi footwear. Hinata also wore a mesh shirt and black pants with a purple stripe across them underneath an open long sleeved black trench coat. Her ninja headband was now orange in color instead of the standard blue. It still sat around her neck. Hinata's body had also changed during the beginning of the third year. Her breast size had gone from an A cup to a C cup, and while her waist had remained slim during her training, Hinata had also developed well in the assets area.

"I've missed him so much…" Hinata says as they walk up the stairs of the secret entrance, "And I don't know whether I want to hug him, or tie him down to the ground and have my way with him…"

"Tie him down to the ground…" Anko says, "Then tear his clothes off with your kunai!"

Anko roars in laughter as Hinata's entire body becomes as red as a tomato.

Hinata studied the mountain as they walked up the stairs. The main rule was that no human was allowed on Myobokuzan without a toad contract (or if they were seeking one) due to wanting to keep things peaceful. However, there was an exception to this rule. Certain humans without toad contracts were permitted short visits depending on the circumstances.

"This is where you shall find the others…" The toad aide speaks as the group stand outside the main room, "Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-san are currently sparring. Should I inform them that you've arrived?"

'No…" Hinata speaks out with a slight blush on her cheeks, "I don't want him to know that I'm here yet…"

"I get it…" The aide smiles as she looks at Hinata's face, completely understanding, "We'll go in quietly so they don't notice us."

As they walk in, Hinata's face turns even redder and her movement comes to a halt.

"Hinata?" Anko asks, "What's the matter with you?"

"Na…Naruto-kun…" Hinata mumbles, barely being able to breath.

Anko looked forward and smirked at what could put Hinata into such a trance. In the center of the room, was a sixteen year old teenage boy, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. His chest was fully developed with a full set of eight-pack abs, and his blond locks that went down to his back were tied in a ponytail. Her nephew was gorgeous!

"That's enough, Naruto…" Jiraiya says as he lowers his guard, "We need to get ready to go. Anko and Hinata should be arriving soon."

"Ok…" Naruto says as he takes a cloth to wipe off the sweat on his forehead.

As Naruto walks back to his room, he finds himself tackled to the ground.

"What the?" Naruto says as he tries to see what knocked him over.

"Shh…" Hinata says as she places a finger to Naruto's lips, "Don't say anything. Just kiss me!"

Hinata straddles herself on Naruto before leaning down and kissing him.

"This scene will be perfect for the fourth book in my series, Icha Icha Gaiden." Jiraiya says as he is scribbling down notes.

"She has become the daughter I never had…" Anko grins.

"Ahem…" Fukasaku coughs, bringing everyone's attention to him.

"Sorry…" Hinata says as she gets up, leaving Naruto on the floor with kiss marks all over his face and neck.

"You have done well these past three years, Naruto," Fukasaku says, dropping some garments onto the ground, "I leave these to you."

"Thank you," Naruto says, looking at the clothes Fukasaku had dropped. Thanks to Erosennin's "training methods", Naruto's original orange and blue uniform had been torn to shreds. Fukasaku and some of the toads had worked on getting Naruto some new clothing. Naruto's new uniform consisted of orange pants with a black stripe on the sides, a long sleeved black shirt with mesh sewn inside, a sleeveless orange jacket that went down to just above the ankles, a new ninja headband that used black, and two purple wristbands.

"Don't think that your training is done yet, Naruto," Anko says, "Now that you have mastered Senjutsu, I can show you some techniques unique only to me. But you should probably put some clothes on first."

"Right." Naruto says as he goes back to his quarters.

"I'll help you clean up!" Hinata says as she runs after Naruto.

"It will be interesting to see what Konoha thinks when they see that the former heir to the Hyuga clan has become a miniature version of you, Anko…" Jiraiya says.

"And what about Naruto?" Anko counters, "Being around you, I'm sure that he's become even more perverted!"

"He may not be a super pervert like me yet," Jiraiya says with pride, "But he has potential. He's already come up with some new perverted jutsu!"

--

_Wave Country_

In the three years since Naruto and the rest of team seven had liberated the Wave, Wave Country had grown into a prosperous place. It had become the defacto place to go for romantic getaways and fresh seafood. Naruto had convinced Jiraiya to head to Wave Country (through the use of his new perverted jutsu), and after three days of travel, they had finally arrived. Jiraiya and Anko had to say that they were impressed with the bridge being named after the most unpredictable ninja of Konoha.

"I still don't believe that this bridge was named after you!" Hinata says as she and Naruto ate lunch at one of the Wave's best restaurants. Jiraiya and Anko had left the two lovebirds alone due to "research" and "booze".

"It was my first C ranked mission…" Naruto reminisces as he looks into his glass of tea, "Which turned into an A ranked mission once my team found out the truth about our client…"

"I always knew you were amazing…" Hinata says as Naruto finishes up the story of how he met and faced Haku, thought Sasuke had been killed, and decided that he would not allow himself to be a mere ninja tool.

After the meal is finished, Naruto asks for the bill to pay, but the waiter upon seeing Naruto's face, tears it up and wishes him well.

"You're a hero to these people Naruto-kun…" Hinata says as they leave the restaurant, "They feel like this is the least they can do to honor what you did for them."

"This feels weird," Naruto says as they head back to Tazuna's house, "I'm not used to people treating me like this. I'm used to people despising me and wishing I was dead…"

"This is what you will experience once you become Hokage," Hinata says as she heads to her room, "I'll see you at training in an hour."

--

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asks as she knocks on his bedroom door, "Are you ready to go?"

"He's not in there, little miss," Tazuna says as he approaches Hinata with a bottle of sake in his hand, "He went to the grave of Momouchi Zabuza and Haku."

"Thank you," Hinata says as she leaves the house.

"Haku…" Naruto says as he looks at his grave, "Thank you. Thank you for helping me to understand what it means to have precious people. I promise you that I'll continue to protect my precious people and I'll never kill my emotions to live my way of the ninja."

Naruto drops some flowers on Haku's grave.

"And you know what?" Naruto says with a smile as his eyes get watery, "You're also one of my precious people! I'll never forget you, and I'll always make sure that you have fresh flowers every time I visit!"

Naruto then looked over to the head-cleaving sword embedded into the soil.

"Zabuza…" Naruto says, "Because of you, I understood that ninja was not a game. You showed me to have no regrets, and to take this path seriously. Thank you."

Naruto drops some flowers on Zabuza's grave and then turns around to go.

"There you are, Naruto-kun!" Hinata says as she grabs his arm, "Come on, we have to go! We don't want to keep Anko-sensei waiting!"

--

"Where's Erosennin?" Naruto asks as he and Hinata stand across from Anko.

"Research", Anko answers, "He'll be back around dinnertime."

"So what are you going to teach us, Anko-sensei?" Hinata asks.

"You'll see," Anko says, "Now in order to begin, I'm going to need both of you to summon your partners. Hinata, I want you to summon Hebiko as she is vital to this part of the training. Naruto, I want you to summon Gamakichi. You need him for what I'm about to teach you."

"Ok!" Both teens say as they bite their thumbs and do the required hands signs.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Both teens say in unison. As the smoke clears, a giant purple snake and a giant orange frog are present.

Gamakichi and Hebiko had also changed over the three years. In addition to the growth spurt, Gamakichi also wore a black pair of gloves along with his blue vest. Hebiko meanwhile, now wore a red bowtie on her head.

"Good." Anko says. "Now the reason why you needed to summon those two specifically is because what I'm about to teach you, are poison techniques and defense. Enemy shinobi will resort to any tactic in order to win, including using things such as paralysis and poison. There will be times when you go up against enemy shinobi and find that you don't have any antidotes, antibiotics, or a medical ninja nearby. So what do you do?"

This was something that Naruto had never really given any thought. Thanks to the Kyubi inside of him, most major wounds and agents that paralyzed or poisoned had little effect on him. His Kyubi was his antidote.

But what about Hinata? It would be another two years before the merging with Kyubi was complete, which meant that if Hinata got caught in a bad situation, it could be the end.

In any case, Naruto thought, learning these new moves could prove advantageous.

"Gamakichi," Anko instructs, "I want you to release poison all over your skin!

"You're the boss!" Gamakichi says as his orange skin starts to turn bright red.

"Ok Naruto," Anko says, "Place your hands on Gamakichi's skin!"

As soon as Naruto does that, he falls to his knees.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yells, as she gets ready to run towards him.

"No, Hinata!" Anko shouts, "Don't touch him!"

After about two minutes of struggling on the ground, Naruto stands up straight, not showing any signs of being under the influence of poison.

"I feel fine…" Naruto says, looking at his hands, "What happened?"

"I allowed your body time to take the poison into your bloodstream," Anko says, "By taking on Gamakichi's poison firsthand without any antidotes, your body has now gained resistance to other types of poison as well. In addition, you can now perform doku jutsu thanks to the small amount of poison stored in your blood."

_"It was easy to do this for Naruto thanks to the Kyubi inside of him, but it won't be the same for Hinata. I suppose training will have to end early tonight. I'll have to teach them the rest tomorrow…"_

"Hinata," Anko begins, "I'm sorry to say this to you, but in order for us to continue, I'm going to have to put you into a 24 hour coma. But don't worry! You'll be perfectly fine when you wake up!"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks, "Why does Hinata have to go into a coma?"

"Hinata does not have a demon inside her body to break down most of the poison, Naruto," Anko says, "This is the only way to ensure that she does not _die._"

"I trust you, Anko-sensei," Hinata says, "Go ahead, Hebiko. Release your poison inside of me."

"I'm only going to release the minimal amount Hinata," Hebiko says as she channels poison into her teeth, "Sleep well…"

Hebiko bites down into Hinata's wrist, knocking her out instantly. Naruto is there to catch Hinata before she falls to the ground and holds her body bridal style.

"Aww…how cute…" Hebiko says at the scene, "But don't worry about her. Along with a small amount of my poison, I've also released a soothing stimulant that will keep Hinata from experiencing any of the negative side effects associated with being poisoned. This will also allow her body to absorb the poison into her bloodstream and have a peaceful sleep."

"You're cool, Naruto!" Gamakichi chimes in.

"We'll resume training around this time tomorrow," Anko says as she jumps into the trees, "You're dismissed!"

--

"Mmmm…" Hinata says as her eyes flutter open.

"She's awake!" A now 11 year old Inari says as he runs down the stairs.

"What time is it?" Hinata asks as she glances over at an alarm clock to the side of the bed.

"Four in the afternoon," Hinata says as she climbs out of bed.

Hinata tried to remember what had happened during the past 24 hours as she headed into the bathroom to take a shower. She remembered training with Naruto and Anko when Hebiko had bit her wrist. Then she remembered Naruto catching her body and holding her close to him. After that, everything went black

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata blushes as she scrubs her body, "It's a shame that I couldn't be awake to fully enjoy that…"

After eating something light to gather her strength, Hinata and Naruto go back outside to train with Anko.

"Now that you both have poison in your bloodstream," Anko says, "I can show you how to upgrade your respective techniques. Hinata, what is one of the main aspects of Senei Jashu?"

"The snake that is summoned has all the properties of a real one." Hinata answers.

"Correct." Anko says, "And just like a real snake, you also have the ability to inject poison into your version. Right now, I want you to try and feel the poison in your body."

"Ok." Hinata says as she closes her eyes. Seconds later, a purple chakra surrounds Hinata's body.

"Good." Anko says as Hinata opens her eyes and sees the purple chakra around her. "Naruto, I want you to do the same."

Naruto closes his eyes as instructed and seconds later also brings out purple chakra.

"Now that you've figured out how to summon it," Anko says as the purple chakra dies down, "You need to channel it into your techniques. Watch me! Senei doku Jashu!"

Anko aims the snake at a tree. When the attack is over, Naruto and Hinata awe at the poison left behind.

"Mizuton! Mizuhou!" Hinata shouts as she rinses off the poison on the tree. "But Anko-sensei! Naruto-kun can't perform Senei Jashu because he hasn't signed the snake contract, so how would this be useful to him?"

"Heh," Naruto laughs as he crosses his fingers together, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Four clones are created as Hinata wonders what Naruto is up to.

"You know what to do!" Naruto says to his clones.

All four clones nod and yell "Henge!" transforming themselves into flies.

"Now watch closely," Naruto says as he holds his palm forward at the flies, "Gama no Shita!"

From Naruto's palm comes a toad's tongue that captures each of the four flies in succession.

"This attack has the same properties as that of a real toad's tongue," Naruto says as the last fly is swallowed into his palm. "If I catch bugs with this, I can convert them into chakra. For everything else, the stickiness of my tongue allows me to have a firm grip on whatever it is that I grab. This works as an extra arm. I can channel my poison through this attack."

"I'm impressed, Naruto," Anko says as she crosses her arms, "You managed to find a way to make my teachings work for you. I don't know why people ever said you were the dead last in the academy your year."

"So now what will we learn?" Hinata asks.

"Nothing," Anko says, "That was it. Now it's time for you two to retake the chuunin exam. You'll both pass this time, I know it!"

"When is the next chuunin exam?" Naruto asks.

"In two months," Anko says, "And it's in Sand village…"

--

_Sand village, Two months and two weeks later_

"What will you do now?" Gaara asks as he and Naruto sit inside the Kazekage's office.

"I have to keep traveling," Naruto says, "Erosennin told me that Akatsuki is heading towards the Wind Country, so I can't stay here. You probably shouldn't be here either!"

"I appreciate your concern," Gaara says, "But I can't abandon this village. I am Kazekage now. My responsibility is to these people here. I have you to thank for giving me a reason to live for."

"It was no problem…" Naruto says as he and Gaara shake hands, "But be careful. I don't want Akatsuki to get you."

"I will." Gaara says, "I look forward to the day when you finally achieve your dream of becoming Hokage."

"I've got a long way to go, but I won't give up!" Naruto says as he throws his fist into his palm, "Now that you are a Kage, I've got to become one too!"

"Tell your teacher thank you for modifying my seal," Gaara says as Naruto heads for the door, "It feels so nice to finally be able to sleep without Shukaku taking over."

"I will," Naruto says as he opens the door, "Take care!"

"Congratulations you two, " Anko says as she looks at Hinata and Naruto. Naruto proudly wore his black chunnin vest underneath his jacket. Hinata also wore her chuunin vest underneath her trench coat, but opted to go for one that was purple.

"Tsunade-obaachan sure missed us, huh?" Naruto asked as they entered the hotel room that Naruto and Jiraiya shared.

"Speak for yourself…" Jiraiya says as he rubs his swollen cheek. Jiraiya had attempted to show Tsunade "Gama no Shita", but Tsunade had clocked Jiraiya and told him that if Naruto had turned into a player, she would castrate him.

"Now that we are chuunin," Hinata says, "What are we going to do before we have to return to the village in another year?"

"You two are going to be doing missions and training to gain experience so that you can become Jounin." Jiraiya says as he looks at his map, "There are a couple of spots where Akatsuki won't be a threat, but other threats such as bandits are. These smaller countries don't have a ninja village of their own, so they must often send for outside help. This is where you two come in. If all goes according to plan, then you'll be full-fledged Jounin by the time you return to the village."

"We're going to be going alone?" Naruto asks.

"I'll be going with you," Anko says, "The three of us will be doing the missions."

"My job is to make sure that Akatsuki doesn't catch your trail," Jiraiya says, "So I have to stay behind. But you will be fine. We'll meet up again at the coordinates that I will have set within a year, and then we'll all return to Konoha together. I want you to know that I'm proud of your growth these past four years Naruto. Now the three of you should get your things packed up. You have to leave in the morning and head to Iron Country."

"This will be a good time to take a nice bath in the springs," Anko says to Hinata, "We should take advantage of this while we have the chance."

"That does sound like a good idea," Naruto says, "Are you coming, Erosennin?"

"I have to finish writing this letter to Tsunade explaining our plan, then I have some other details to check on," Jiraiya says, "I won't be joining you."

"Ok," Naruto says as he exits the room.

As soon as all three are gone, a smirk forms on Jiraiya's face as he pulls a telescope out from under his pillow.

"That letter can wait. I need to get in some more "research"…

--

_Sun Country, five years later_

"You'll never stop me!" The bandit leader known as Akakuma said, "I'm invincible!"

"There's a first time for everything!" The eighteen year old Hyuga said as she did some hand signs, "Raihebi!"

A thunder snake comes out of Hinata's sleeve and strikes Akakuma in his left shoulder, temporarily paralyzing it.

"You'll pay for that!" Akakuma curses as he holds his shoulder in pain.

"I don't think so!" An eighteen year old blond says as he charges towards Akakuma, "Tsuchiken!"

Naruto strikes Akakuma in the jaw with a fist of stone, knocking him out cold.

"Let's get out of here!" Akakuma's second in command shouts.

"I'll take care of the bandits," Naruto says as he runs off.

"And I'll tie Akakuma up until the authorities arrive," Hinata says.

"I don't believe that Akakuma could be so stupid!" Akakuma's second says as he runs away, "We heard rumors that _they_ would be here, but he still wanted to come anyway! But that's ok, we'll regroup and then I'll lead everybody into victory!"

"Sorry…" Naruto says, standing directly in front, "But you aren't going anywhere!"

"We might have lost Akakuma, but you're exhausted from fighting!" Akakuma's second barks, "You can't defeat me and the remaining twenty of us by yourself! Come on everyone! He doesn't stand a chance!"

"I finally get a chance to show off the new and improved version of the Naruto Tatsumaki!" Naruto says as he charges wind chakra into his kunai.

"Nothing you do can stop us now!" Akakuma's second yells, "Prepare to die!"

"For my precious people…" Naruto says as he swings his kunai to the right, creating a massive tornado that takes out all 21 bandits, "I will not fall! Fuuton! Naruto Tatsumaki!"

--

_Naruto: Gwaahhhh!!_

_Hinata: Naruto-kun!_

_Anko: Naruto!_

_Konohamaru: Naruto-nichan!_

_Jiraiya: Grab Naruto and follow me!_

_Hinata: What's wrong with Naruto-kun? Is he dying? What can we do to save him?_

_Hanabi: He is the least of your concerns, dear sister! We have a score to settle!_

_Hinata: Hanabi?!_

_Hanabi: I'll show you why father chose me to lead the Hyuga!_

_Hinata: Next time on Naruto: Naruto's fusion! Sayonara, Kyubi!_

_Kyubi:_ **_It's been fun, Naruto!!_**

_Naruto: Kyubi!!_

_--_

Q and A with Trutenor

Q: Oh my gosh! You actually updated in less then three years!

A: That's not really a question, but yeah…after taking three years to update the last chapter, I didn't want to wait another three. You all deserved that much. And besides, things are about to get really interesting from here on out…

Q: When is the next chapter coming out?

A: Ah, yes. The infamous question that every fanfiction writer must deal with…Here is the default answer: I don't know. I do have a life outside of my computer you know, and I do still have those other projects that I'm working on. But I do know that chapter 7 will be coming soon. I'm really excited about chapter 7. I wanted to write that two years ago! But I had to write chapter 5 and 6 first. Anyway, here is one important thing that I can tell you about chapter 7. All of the characters that you saw in the next chapter preview are the main characters for this story from here on out. Anyone else that you might see (including Sasuke) are secondary characters. So while I might write something about them, keep in mind that they aren't as important to the plot as the main cast.

Q: What's the deal with Hebiko?

A: I needed Hinata to have a summon that was the equivalent of Naruto and Gamakichi. You will see her pop up a couple of more times, but don't get used to it. I don't like reading or writing about original characters for the main reason that most people don't give a crap about them. When I read fanfiction, I don't read it to find out what the "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu" will do next. I read it to find out what the "canon" characters are up to. Now keep in mind that there are exceptions to this rule. The other reason for creating Hebiko is that I needed to create the foundation that would take Hinata from a demure, pampered princess into a strong and fearless kunoichi that was still kind.

Q: How did you get the kanji for water (水) in your story?

A: Japanese dictionary/translator. First you want to make sure that your computer can read Japanese text (to do this, just visit any Japanese website. Your cpu will then prompt you to download the text). Once you've done this, just copy the kanji that you want to use, and paste it into your word document.

Q: Can you tell me what the kanji are for the other elements?

Water: 水

Fire: 火

Earth: 土

Wind: 風

Thunder: 雷

Since I took three years to post chapter five, consider this your reward for putting up with me.

Q: Can you tell me what the kanji is for…

A: No. My Japanese is not that good yet. I've memorized katakana and hiragana, but kanji is a bitch to remember! The reason why I listed the kanji for the elements is because those are among the most common kanji used (As well as to make up for the 3 year hiatus). In addition to that, there are over 2,000 kanji characters to learn! Do you know how many kanji characters I know by heart (as of this writing)? Five. And those symbols are fire, water, and the numbers one, two, and three. I'm still learning. If you want any other kanji character, use a translator.

Q: Can you tell me what website you go to for your kanji?

A: Just type "Japanese dictionary" in your favorite search engine (I recommend Google) and try out the options listed. What I use for my needs may not work for you. If that doesn't work, then try typing in "Japanese translator".

And some other things…

1) There are two pop culture references to classic American cartoons in this chapter. One was intentional, the other wasn't. See if you can find them both!

2) Naruto's outfit (if you couldn't figure it out) is a cross between his Shippuuden outfit, Jiraiya's outfit, Minato's outfit, and a popular fanart that shows an adult Naruto (along with Sakura as his wife) as the next Hokage.

3) Hinata's three elements are Water, lightning, and wind.

And that's about all that I can think of. If there is anything else that you wish to know, then let me know and I'll address it. Email, review, whatever floats your boat. So long!


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